AZ Sheriff threatens secret gay illegal lover with deportation

[Gonad the Barbarian]

This is the hardliner sheriff from John McCain's "complete the danged fence" commercial currently running for congress in AZ.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2012-...h-deportation/

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu — who became the face of Arizona border security nationally after he started stridently opposing illegal immigration — threatened his Mexican ex-lover with deportation when the man refused to promise never to disclose their years-long relationship, the former boyfriend and his lawyer tell New Times.

The latest of the alleged threats were made through Babeu's personal attorney, who's also running the sheriff's campaign for Congress in District 4, the ex-lover says.

He says lawyer Chris DeRose demanded he sign an agreement that he would never breathe a word about the affair. But Jose (New Times is withholding his last name because Babeu and his attorney have challenged his legal status) refused.

The 34-year-old from central Mexico charges that the sheriff's lawyer warned against mentioning the affair with Babeu. DeRose said gossip about Babeu would focus attention on Jose, attention that could result in his deportation, Jose says.

Melissa Weiss-Riner, Jose's attorney, confirms her client's account.

She says she spoke directly to the sheriff's lawyer, DeRose, about the Babeu camp's threats that Jose could be deported if he "revealed the relationship." She says DeRose falsely claimed that Jose's visa had expired.

"Jose came to our firm because he felt he was being intimidated, and he was in fear for his life," Weiss-Riner says. "He wanted his legal rights protected."

Babeu didn't respond to requests for comment by publication time for this article, but his attorney, DeRose, says the dispute between Jose and the sheriff concerned Jose's work on Babeu's websites. He says Jose was a former volunteer who hacked into a campaign website.

DeRose didn't immediately address the other claims against him and the sheriff, except to say, "I never threatened to deport anybody" and that "[Babeu's] not threatening anybody."

Informed of the situation, Nancy-Jo Merritt, a longtime Phoenix immigration attorney, says such a threat would be indicative of an "atmosphere that's been created politically in this state, so that if you get angry at someone who is Hispanic, you immediately jump down to the level of threatening to deport him.

"If what [Babeu's attorney] says is correct [about Jose's being illegal], either the sheriff had a long relationship with someone he knew was undocumented, while all the time being Mr. Bluster about the border and using it for political gain," or he threatened to deport someone he just broke up with, Merritt says.

"That's just the worst kind of hypocrisy."

She adds that federal immigration-enforcement agents have better things to do than "take care of Babeu's boyfriends."

Antonio Bustamante, a criminal defense attorney and immigration activist, tells New Times that if the allegations against Babeu are true, "To use a position of authority . . . and make legal threats opens a Pandora's box of ethics issues for any law enforcement person or any elected person. In this case, he's both."

Jose says he met Babeu in October 2006 on gay.com, a dating website. What started with an online invitation from Babeu for the two to get together, he says, turned into not only a personal relationship but a professional one.

Jose says he created and maintained Babeu's campaign websites, his Facebook page, and his Twitter account. Babeu didn't pay him for his online services, he claims.

Jose says Babeu told him that he loved him and was with him exclusively. But Jose suspected Babeu was lying. The relationship soured, and Jose believes that Babeu sent DeRose after him. He says DeRose demanded the passwords to Babeu's websites and social-media accounts. Jose says he complied but that Babeu and his attorney also wanted Jose to sign a document that would bind him legally to keep silent about the relationship.

Jose admits that he lashed out on news websites featuring stories about Babeu. He says he commented anonymously that the sheriff was not who people thought he was. He says he once wrote a comment on Chino Valley eNews that Babeu had an account on adam4adam.com, where gay men arrange sexual liaisons.

There's more at the link. Including a pic of the sheriff with his hand in another guy's shirt. But remember, all of this is "allegedly."

[RavenSEAL]

[monovillage]

Another gay bashing and outing is horrible and a hate crime! ...............unless it benefits a Democrat/liberal in which case it's perfectly justified to hypocrites because it damages a Republican.

[Gonad the Barbarian]

This issue here is his flaming hypocrisy not his homosexuality.

[monovillage]

You got the hypocrisy part right.

[Gonad the Barbarian]

You'll have to explain how the hypocrisy lies somewhere other than the Republican anti-immigration sheriff who has a illegal immigrant ex boyfriend. Good luck.

[JSt0rm]

Lmao. Of course this happens.

[feralkid]

Originally Posted by monovillage

Another gay bashing and outing is horrible and a hate crime! ...............unless it benefits a Democrat/liberal in which case it's perfectly justified to hypocrites because it damages a Republican.

That's a bit of a reach.

[Thump553]

Originally Posted by monovillage

Another gay bashing and outing is horrible and a hate crime! ...............unless it benefits a Democrat/liberal in which case it's perfectly justified to hypocrites because it damages a Republican.

Gay bashing not found and outing has never been held to be a hate crime. Nice stretch.

[chucky2]

Deport them both. Problem solved.

[JSt0rm]

Originally Posted by chucky2

Deport them both. Problem solved.

There will still be gay people, even if you try and deport them all.

[Lemon law]

Originally Posted by chucky2

Deport them both. Problem solved.

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Sadly Sheriff Paul is likely an American citizen , meaning that we in the USA can't dump our fellow on the Mexican government.

[Pliablemoose]

Holy crap.

That being said, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

[Siddhartha]

This, if true, is an example of abuse of power.

[loki8481]

Originally Posted by monovillage

Another gay bashing and outing is horrible and a hate crime! ...............unless it benefits a Democrat/liberal in which case it's perfectly justified to hypocrites because it damages a Republican.

his being gay is irrelevant to the situation... he'd be just as much of a hypocrite if he were campaigning against illegal immigration while dating/employing a female illegal immigrant.

[Craig234]

Originally Posted by loki8481

his being gay is irrelevant to the situation... he'd be just as much of a hypocrite if he were campaigning against illegal immigration while dating/employing a female illegal immigrant.

The relevance is ony the fact that voters in Arizona are anti-gay bigots who passed a constitutional amendment to discriminate against gays, adding to the irony.

[IronWing]

Originally Posted by Craig234

The relevance is ony the fact that voters in Arizona are anti-gay bigots who passed a constitutional amendment to discriminate against gays, adding to the irony.

Gay Arizonans stand behind Sheriff Babeu as he opens up.

[sandorski]

lol. Seems to good to be true though, but if it is, lolmore.

[Craig234]

Sheriff's lawyer did not deny the romantic relationship. Pretty good clue.

[loki8481]

Originally Posted by Craig234

The relevance is ony the fact that voters in Arizona are anti-gay bigots who passed a constitutional amendment to discriminate against gays, adding to the irony.

how is a constitutional amendment to discriminate against gays relevant to an opponent of illegal immigration hiring/dating an illegal immigrant?

[Craig234]

Originally Posted by loki8481

how is a constitutional amendment to discriminate against gays relevant to an opponent of illegal immigration hiring/dating an illegal immigrant?

It's the fact that not only is a leader against illegal immigration having an affair with an illegal immigrant, a state that's bigoted against gays has a gay sheriff/leader.

[HamburgerBoy]

Originally Posted by Craig234

It's the fact that not only is a leader against illegal immigration having an affair with an illegal immigrant, a state that's bigoted against gays has a gay sheriff/leader.

So, basically, the Democratic candidates for sheriff are hoping to use his homosexuality to turn his base against him. Nice.

[Craig234]

Originally Posted by HamburgerBoy

So, basically, the Democratic candidates for sheriff are hoping to use his homosexuality to turn his base against him. Nice.

Stop lying.

That's not what I said.

[HamburgerBoy]

Originally Posted by Craig234

Stop lying.

That's not what I said.

Come election time it's up to Arizonans to decide whether they fear Mexicans or the gay more. Conflating the two right now is dishonest, and the only issue that anyone in favor of equal treatment of homosexuals should have is if they can find where this guy has gone on anti-gay moral crusades in the past.

[shortylickens]

Originally Posted by Lemon law

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Sadly Sheriff Paul is likely an American citizen , meaning that we in the USA can't dump our fellow on the Mexican government.

I fully support harsh punishment of Americans that support, help, or employ illegals.

Also, this seriously needs to be a movie of the week. There is just barely enough hot gay interracial man sex on TV.