( CNN ) -- A lawmaker 's remarks at a roast for Sheriff Joe Arpaio made audience members chuckle and applaud . But critics of the controversial Arizona sheriff say they are n't laughing . Comments made by state Rep. John Kavanagh , they say , were racist jokes that used Latinos as the punchline . The tumult comes after the Southern Poverty Law Center , a civil rights organization that has criticized Arpaio in the past , posted audio recordings from the recent roast on its website . `` Sheriff Joe is the kind of guy that you got ta love , as long as you have papers , '' Kavanagh quips in the recording . `` Going out with Joe is always an adventure , '' he continues , `` because usually when we walk into a restaurant , most of the waitstaff and cooks dive out the back window , and when they do n't , I never know what the hell 's in my food . '' It 's comments like that , the law center claims , that show why conservatives have a hard time connecting with Latinos . `` There is a fundamental lack of respect , '' the center said . Kavanagh declined CNN 's interview request . But in a written statement , he called the Southern Poverty Law Center 's post a personal attack . `` The jokes I made at the Sheriff Joe Arpaio Roast , at his invitation , were satirical comedy . The jokes were not directed at minority group members but at the target of the roast -- Sheriff Arpaio . The jokes were jabs against the sheriff based upon allegations of his department 's engaging in racial profiling , '' Kavanagh said . `` The Southern Poverty Law Center edited out selected portions of a much longer roast on many topics not related to racial profiling . The humor was typical of roasts and had I made the same jokes against Sheriff Arpaio at their annual dinner , I suspect that they would have been laughing as much as this audience laughed . Likewise , had these jokes been made on a TV comedy or variety show , there would also be no controversy . '' Kavanagh , a Republican , was a major supporter of Arizona 's just-vetoed religious freedom bill and also supported its 2010 law cracking down on illegal immigration . The clip posted online included about six minutes excerpted from remarks that lasted around 20 minutes at the roast . In his roast , Kavanagh also joked about Arpaio 's age and other topics , including singer Justin Bieber 's legal problems . Arpaio , who calls himself America 's toughest sheriff , told CNN there 's no basis for allegations that Kavanagh is racist . `` It was a roast . John Kavanagh 's my friend . I support him . He 's not a racist . He 's very funny , '' Arpaio said . `` So , he made these comments , I ca n't speak whether he went too far . '' The sheriff accused people criticizing the roast of having a double standard . `` Everybody 's talking about him . What about all the activists and the civil rights ( groups ) that called me Nazi and Hitler ? For four years , they 've been doing that , on street corners and everywhere else , '' he said . `` Why is n't there an uproar about going after me , calling me every name in the book ? Why are they worried about just some roast ? '' Last year , a federal court in Phoenix ruled that Arpaio 's handling of people of Latino descent was not tough enforcement of immigration laws but instead amounted to racial and ethnic profiling . The judge later ordered a federal monitor to keep tabs on Arpaio 's office and make sure officers were n't racially profiling anymore . The monitor was also a subject of jokes during Kavanagh 's roast . `` It 's OK . I 'm not the federal monitor , '' he said . `` How many Hispanics did you pull over on the way over here , Arpaio , huh ? '' Arpaio 's tough , headline-grabbing punishments have earned him diehard supporters and fiery opponents . He 's issued pink underwear to the men detained in the county 's jails and said he is saving taxpayers money by removing salt and pepper from prison meals . In January , Arpaio said inmates who allegedly defaced American flags placed in their jail cells would be punished with a diet of bread and water . CNN 's Ana Cabrera , Gustavo Valdes , Brooke Baldwin , Faith Karimi and Ben Brumfield contributed to this report .
Rep. John Kavanagh is under fire after remarks at a roast for Sheriff Joe Arpaio . Critics say his jokes were racist and used Latinos as the punchline . Kavanagh says the jokes were `` satirical comedy '' aimed at Arpaio . He also said he was not aware of any racial overtones in the joke, but apologized to those offended by it.