Representative Paul Ryan / Photo by: Gage Skidmore via flickr

Representative Paul Ryan, a Republican and the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, has vehemently denounced President Donald Trump's decision to extend pardon to former sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Arpaio, 85, was convicted of criminal contempt in July 2016 after disobeying an injunctive order issued by a court that enjoins him to stop racially profiling Latinos in Arizona. The former sheriff of Maricopa County had faced a potential imprisonment of six months due to his department's policy of detaining motorists merely because they are being suspected as illegal immigrants on the sole basis of their race.

Ryan said he "does not agree" with the president’s decision, joining other senior Republicans in condemning the extension of pardon.

"Law enforcement officials have a special responsibility to respect the rights of everyone in the United States. We should not allow anyone to believe that responsibility is diminished by this pardon," a spokesperson for Ryan said during a press conference.

Arpaio, who has been a known political ally of Trump, is the first person in the Trump administration to have been granted a presidential pardon.

Cecillia Wang, a lawyer who assisted in the filing of criminal charges against Arpaio, likewise condemned the president’s decision and described the same as ”a presidential endorsement of racism.” She also said that Trump had "acted in support of illegal, failed immigration enforcement practices that target people of color and have been struck down by the courts.”

Trump has repeatedly praised Arpaio's ironclad position on immigration policies, which included huge roundups of suspected illegal immigrants.

"Throughout his time as sheriff, Arpaio continued his life's work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration," the White House said in an official statement.

The former sheriff was also known for the investigations that he commenced with respect to alleged Trump-endorsed claims that challenge the former president Barack Obama's US citizenship.

In response to the criminal allegations, Arpaio claimed that the prosecution was a politically motivated attempt by the former Obama administration to weaken his reelection bid.