LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- A survey showed that half of Arizonans do not agree with U.S. President Donald Trump on pardoning former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who broke the law in defying a judge while carrying out traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.
President Trump told Fox News he was considering a pardon for Arpaio, who was a strong supporter of Trump in last year's presidential elections.
Arpaio's issue became a focus of Trump's trip to Arizona, which is his first stop to the stronghold of the Republics in the West since he won the presidential election last November. Trump said he could announce a pardon to Arpaio on the campaign-style rally scheduled to be held in Phoenix Tuesday.
However, many local residents, including Mayor of Phoenix Greg Stanton, warned the president no to do that. A statement issued by Stanton said: "If President Trump is coming to Phoenix to announce a pardon for former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, then it will be clear that his true intent is to enflame emotions and further divide our nation."
According to the survey released Monday, Phoenix-based OH Predictive Insights conducted the poll with 1,065 adults from Aug. 18 to 20, finding only 21 percent support Trump announcing a pardon, while 50 percent oppose it and 29 percent are undecided.
The support numbers fall even further for those under the age of 54 with just 15 percent backing Trump's intention to pardon the sheriff, who is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 5 and could spend up to six months in jail.
"Only getting 6 months for illegally incarcerating thousands of people is a light sentence," Louis A. Cardona IV, a Puerto Rican immigrant who used to live in Phoenix told Xinhua. "He should be locked up a lot longer."
"A pardon from Trump would be an official endorsement of blatant racism by the White House," Steve Farley, a Democratic state senator, who is running for Arizona governor in 2018, told local KTAR 92.3 FM.
Local residents also worried that the Trump's rally could triggered an uproar in the city as Arizona law allows citizens to carry handguns in their pockets if they have a permit.
In an email to Xinhua by Team Trump-Pence Monday, the organizers of the rally gave a list of prohibited items that will not be allowed in the rally for the president in the Phoenix Convention Center Tuesday, including "weapons of any kind, ammunition, explosives, firearms, selfie sticks, toy guns and any other items determined to be potential safety hazard."
