Russell Pearce, Ousted Arizona Immigration Law Architect, Gets Job As President Of Stop Amnesty Now

Russell Pearce, the former Republican Arizona state senator credited with laying down the framework for the state's controversial immigration law, announced this week that he will be heading conservative anti-illegal immigration group Ban Amnesty Now after being toppled last year in a recall election.

"This is a significant time for Ban Amnesty Now, this is a critical time for America and for the growing majority of Americans who support securing our borders NOW, support protecting our communities NOW, support protecting our jobs NOW, and stand steadfast in our shared opposition to amnesty for the millions upon millions of criminal illegal aliens who broke the law crossing the border and break the law today by remaining illegally in this nation," Pearce, who previously served as an honorary co-chair of the group, said in a release posted on its website.

Ban Amnesty Now has been a mainstay among Arizona's immigration hardliners. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio once served as an honorary chair of the association, but cut ties in 2010 after the group sent out a press release that used his signature to imply he supported their claim that undocumented immigrants were preparing to steal the 2010 midterm elections through voter fraud.

As president of the Arizona state Senate, Pearce was the primary sponsor of Arizona's S.B. 1070, the contentious immigration enforcement bill that has been mired in legal deadlock since it was signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer (R) in 2010. The legislation, which, at the time of its passage was considered the strictest of its kind, is set to be ruled upon by the Supreme Court later this year.

Discontent over Pearce's vocal support of the anti-immigration measures within S.B. 1070 helped fuel a popular recall effort leading up to the 2011 elections. In November, Jerry Lewis, a fellow Republican who ran against the aggressive immigration crackdown, defeated Pearce overwhelmingly.

Comments

[Chief Johnson]

08:51 PM on 03/11/2012

A nice way to accept that his political career is over.

[videopage]

03:04 PM on 01/27/2012

Any serious legal attempt to enforce 'birther' theories to urge legislation should call as a witness the one person in this country who could help their cause better than anyone else: Donald Trump.

When Mr. Trump was strongly promoting his birther theory, he informed the public that he had hired some investigators to visit Hawaii and look into matters concerning the President's 'alleged' birth there.

After a week or so passed, he told the media that his investigators have uncovered some 'amazing' facts.

Well, maybe it's time for Mr. Trump to finally tell the public all of the amazing things that his investigators have uncovered.

[ramman]

11:38 AM on 01/26/2012

This is the same guy they recently showed that has strong ties with the white supremacist there in Arizona. He held high office there in that state also and we can see why this state is labeled as one of the most bigoted states in America. Can you imagine a state like this with untouched/unchecked states rights? It certainly wouldn't be good at all for any minority group there.

[dhinds]

12:03 AM on 01/26/2012

Although ex-Deputy Sheriff Pearce presented SB1070 to Arizona's Senate, it's author was Kris Kobash.

[Tonelook]

11:02 PM on 01/25/2012

Nazi get employed as President of thinly veiled Nazi organization; hardly news, hardly unexpected. I bet the members of Ban Amnesty Now, all claim to be Christians, and they all white and mostly male, and of course Republican.

[4 real world peace]

10:57 PM on 01/25/2012

He'll never get too far with this. Obama will get reelected and veto anything like this. Besides, there are way too many Latinos and people who support/respect the immigrant community for anything like this to get anywhere. Conservatives complain about undocumented immigrants not paying taxes (which is actually untrue but that's a whole other subject) yet they spend their time trying to block any legislation that would legalize them and allow them to pay all their taxes. makes no sense.

[voyager48]

07:02 PM on 01/25/2012

Illegal immigration is an enforcement issue first and foremost. Obama is bound to uphold the law as it stands and he is not at liberty to unilaterally change that and neither nor ICE have the discretion to look the other way.

The broadening of E-verify and strengthening it to include biometric data is already in motion. The provision to put the waiver system in place is a tacit admission of the fact that enforcement is inevitable as it is the only way this mess will be cleaned up and without it all other arguments and discussions are moot.

[DaveIsLib]

05:02 PM on 01/25/2012

So Ban Amnesty Now is so slimy that Sheriff Joe won't go near 'em anymore. I'd say that speaks volumes as to credibility of that organization.

[RepublicanDepression]

05:02 PM on 01/25/2012

Scripture forbids this narrow-mindedness:

Exodus 22:21, "You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt."

Leviticus 19:34 "The alien who resides among you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt"

Why would Christians support policies on immigration to be driven by a narrow-minded, bigoted but very vocal minority who violate scripture?

[BlairCase]

05:24 PM on 01/25/2012

Some people think Pearce's attitude toward undocument­ed immigrants hardened in 2004 when an illegal immigrant shot and killed his son, who was a sheriff's deputy.

[RepublicanDepression]

12:30 AM on 01/26/2012

Wow. Thanks for the insight. I didn't know that.

Still no excuse.

Many people have lost children and not become bigots against the class of people represented by the killer.

[banzaimaur]

07:02 PM on 01/25/2012

Here's a clue RepubDep - This is a nation of laws......not scripture. If you want to live in a nation that is run by "scripture".......move to Iran.

[RepublicanDepression]

12:11 AM on 01/26/2012

LOL!

OK, banzaimaur, then show us your posts condemning Santorum, Romney, Gingirch and Paul for all their policies that they believe to be based n the Bible, especially their specious, non-scientific, non-Biblical belief that personhood begins at conception.

If you can't then FAIL!

LOL!

[rosiebond007]

04:46 PM on 01/25/2012

So who is paying his salary now?

Wasn't this guy given the boot ??

[Minnehaha]

04:42 PM on 01/25/2012

Racist may give out but they never give up!

[Charles Ossa]

04:35 PM on 01/25/2012

KKK minus the robes. By thy fruits, ye shall know them.

[Contact1972]

08:44 PM on 01/26/2012

SNAP!

[RepublicanDepression]

04:34 PM on 01/25/2012

What a face. Such deeply etched anger. Is that what a lifetime of his kind of thinking does to you?

[sammi 56]

12:21 PM on 01/27/2012

Yes it does -- that kind of hate will eat him alive.

[Martin Privat]

04:32 PM on 01/25/2012

Sure lets kick out the over 10 million people already in this country. It will only be the biggest land migration of humans in the history of the world. Logistically it would be next to impossible. Disillusion at best his group and groups like it are distracting from real solutions to this issue.

[Viper1st]

05:02 PM on 01/25/2012

Is Not ~ BHO deporting illegals, out of the USA, at the record-breaking rate of 1 illlegal every 79 seconds of every hour, of every day, of every week, of every month of his 36-month presidency = 396,906 illegals deported, annually?

[Martin Privat]

06:43 PM on 01/25/2012

Now how many snuck back in. Do you think once they are gone they are gone forever? If that is what you believe that is very naive.

[HekmagaJuximaxx]

06:46 PM on 01/25/2012

1 illegal deported every 79 seconds, 20 more enter the country every 30 seconds.
Not only from Mexico, but from Asia, Europe, Africa, and Alaska. Especially Alaska.
Whack a mole, anyone?

[voyager48]

06:57 PM on 01/25/2012

They got here by illegal migration so it is absolutely possible and feasible and the worst ponzi scheme in history.

100,000 illegals left AZ withing months of SB1070 at no cost to the state. If we extrapolate that over 50 states that works out to 5 million - half way there at no cost!

[Martin Privat]

08:50 PM on 01/25/2012

Where did they go?? They sure as sh*t didn't go all back to Mexico. I would also be dubious of your 100k number. Please provide a link to prove that figure. Again when they are coming in faster then we can get them out wouldn't you think that would be the clue that we need a different approach to this issue? Nevermind the fact that immigration for farming has been going on in this country for over 100 years. We need a different system. something that will work not just sound good for the nightly news and quick sound bites.

[Dunelm]

04:28 PM on 01/25/2012

Bird of a feather . . .Pearce spews hate wherever he goes!