Interestingly, Non-citizens are more willing to stand up and fight for the United States, according to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
In preparation for the upcoming Armed Forces day this Saturday, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has noticed the large numbers of those who have filled out the Selective Service registration when he began this new program in his jails in 2004.
“I am very pleased we have signed up over 44,000 inmates for the Selective Service” Arpaio says, “however the percentage of refusals between citizens and non-citizens came as a surprise.” 51,000 US citizen inmates have had the opportunity to sign up and 15,000 (45%) of them refused and out of the almost 12,000 non-citizens and illegal immigrants, only 2700 (30%) refused to sign up in the event of a draft.
On Saturday May 21st, 2016 in honor of National Armed Forces Day, the Sheriff will be holding a special opportunity for incarcerated inmates to sign up for Selective Service who haven’t already done so at the Tent City jail.
The federal Selective Service Act requires persons between the ages of 18 and 25, including non-citizens and illegal immigrants, to register with the Selective Service – a law reactivated by President Carter in 1980. It remains the law of the land. Violators of this law have committed a felony, punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine.
The rise of ISIS in recent years as a deadly and destructive force has only strengthened the fact that the war on terror is far from over for the civilized world. Lately, the United States Military has been maligned and held in contempt by rogue nations who have no fear of taking our sailors, buzzing our warships and generally discounting our strength and resolve.
Sheriff Arpaio is a veteran of the U.S. Army, having joined the military when the Korean War started. In December of 2013, Sheriff Arpaio initiated a separate housing pod for military veterans serving time in the jail system as a way of meeting their unique rehabilitative and health-related needs. These veterans will be at this event in support of other inmates who are taking this step of patriotism for the United States of America.
Sheriff Arpaio will be speaking at 3:00pm. All media is invited please arrive at the Tent City east gate, 2939 W Durango Phx., 85009. Entrance is off Durango just south of Estrella Jail parking lot; look for the ‘In Tents Visitation’ sign located at the front of the entrance.