Sheriff Terry Johnson, of North Carolina’s Alamance County, has a lot in common with his better-known colleague in Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio. They both have the kind of bold rhetorical style that has launched many careers in reality television—Johnson, for example, often refers to his Latino constituents as “taco eaters.” They both won their most recent elections by more than ten percentage points. And they are both under investigation by the Department of Justice for racial discrimination.

Earlier this week, the D.O.J. announced the findings of its inquiry into Johnson’s agency, which had been ongoing for a little more than two years. Johnson’s office is accused of “engag[ing] in a pattern or practice of discriminatory policing against Latinos,” including, among other things, targeting Latinos at traffic stops and establishing checkpoints outside of Latino neighborhoods. “If you stop a Mexican, don’t write a citation, arrest him,” the D.O.J. quotes Johnson as telling his deputies. And the D.O.J. has now removed the Alamance County sheriff’s office from the 287(g) program, which authorizes local and state agencies to enforce immigration law. Johnson denies the allegations, and slammed the Obama Administration over them. “We have never discriminated against Spanish-speaking persons in any way, shape, or form,” he said.

Johnson’s real problem isn’t the Administration, though, so much as the lack of nationally recognized Republicans willing to come to his defense. Arpaio and Johnson’s brand of tough immigration enforcement has become politically risky in the last year. Arpaio used to take meetings with the likes of Herman Cain and Rick Santorum, but no one came to his defense when the D.O.J. sued him and his office this spring. This might have to do with the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down major parts of SB 1070, Arizona’s controversial immigration law. Or it might be the fact that Latino voters are a crucial demographic for Republicans in the general election. Either way, Arpaio and Johnson’s approach to immigration enforcement has, at least for now, become marginalized within the Republican Party.

At the Republican primary debates last winter, the candidates seemed to be competing over who could invoke the word “illegal” most frequently. Mitt Romney cited Kris Kobach, the author of SB 1070, when he called for an immigration policy that would encourage immigrants to “self-deport.”

In January, Romney boasted of Kobach’s endorsement. “I’m so proud to earn Kris’s support,” he said in a statement at the time. “Kris has been a true leader on securing our borders and stopping the flow of illegal immigration into this country. We need more conservative leaders like Kris willing to stand up for the rule of law.” In an interview with Univision earlier this week, though, Romney acted as if he hardly recognized Kobach’s name. “He may well be part of a policy team,” Romney said. “I have not met with him yet. And don’t know whether he is or he is not. So, sorry.”

Arpaio is up for reëlection in November, and while he still has a sizable campaign coffer—$4.2 million, according to Fox News—he’s all out of powerful friends. Russell Pearce, Arpaio’s longtime ally in the Arizona legislature, lost his election for state senate last month, and Andrew Thomas, Arpaio’s former counterpart at the County prosecutor’s office, was disbarred in April.

Arpaio has said that his reëlection in November will be the toughest he’s faced in his twenty years in office. Sheriff Johnson is also up for reëlection this year; come November, we’ll be able to see whether he can be as successful as Arpaio has in the past at turning the scrutiny of his office into a boost at the ballot box.

Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty