Trump is 'strongly considering' pardoning Sheriff Joe Arpaio - here's why he's so controversial

Donald Trump said this week that he was "strongly considering" pardoning Joe Arpaio. The controversial former sheriff of Arizona's Maricopa County gained national attention for his aggressive stance on illegal immigration. A federal court convicted him last month for misdemeanor contempt of court for continuing to order his deputies to arrest suspected undocumented immigrants after a 2011 federal injunction that followed allegations of racial profiling.

Arpaio was an early endorser of Trump presidential campaign. The president has suggested that he will pardon Arpaio before an Oct. 5 sentencing date. Arpaio faces up to six months in federal prison.