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The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in Arizona has voted to postpone the acceptance of $1.6 million from the state to help pay for County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s controversial immigration enforcement tactics.

Observers said the decision could signal that the board is concerned by federal inquires into Arpaio’s practices, which allegedly include discrimination and racial profiling.

Given Arizona’s steep budget deficit, the Board of Supervisors is following the lead of other states like Texas, Alabama and elsewhere — where hard-line immigration tactics have been scaled-down, repealed or modified by public officials that have come to terms with the fact that the time and expense associated with implementing such policies has made their anti-immigrant position less popular among their constituents. However, Sheriff Joe Arpaio plans on continuing his immigration enforcement without the extra money — even if it comes at the high cost of his county’s safety and financial security.

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