Russell Pearce: The Man Behind Arizona SB 1070

The recently passed Senate Bill 1070 has provided both a game-changing triumph for anti-immigration forces and a galvanizing focal point for immigration rights advocates. But before Governor Jan Brewer signed the bill, and before the Arizona Senate and the House passed it, a state senator by the name of Russell Pearce sponsored the original legislation.

So, the obvious question arises: who is Senator Russell Pearce?

As it turns out, Mr. Pearce is no friend of the immigrant. More unsurprising news: not only is Senator Pearce unfriendly to immigrants in general, as a relatively new member of the state senate, representing Arizona District 18 (for the most part comprising the city of Mesa, a suburb of Phoenix), Pearce has made it his personal mission to institute state policies attacking undocumented immigrants. A decades-long veteran of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department, Pearce has repeatedly attempted to coerce local law enforcement to get more involved in federal immigration policy, a pursuit that culminated in the passage of SB 1070.

According to the New York Times, Pearce has repeatedly sparked controversy with his unorthodox attacks on immigrants. In 2006, Pearce readily endorsed the 1950s deportation program known as Operation Wetback; in 2007, Pearce appeared to be in the best of spirits alongside a prominent member of a white supremacist group. Throughout his legislative career, Pearce has urged the state of Arizona to pass legislation that would challenge the 14th amendment, in hopes of eliminating the constitutional provision granting citizenship to those born on United States soil.

This year, Pearce has proven to be just as vociferous in his attacks on undocumented workers as ever. In a recent interview with a local news station in Arizona, Senator Pearce attacked opponents of SB 1070 with facts and figures that critics allege to be categorically false.

Senator Pearce's fiery rhetoric and legislative fury have always been clouded by questions regarding his personal motivation. His son, Sean, also a veteran sheriff's deputy, was shot and critically wounded in 2004 by someone who turned out to be an undocumented immigrant. While still serving as a deputy, Pearce himself was attacked and shot in the chest by a a gang member.

Regardless of motivation, Pearce has succeeded by his own measurement in helping to pass the most stringent anti-immigration law in the country. Pearce seems to pursue his objective of doing away with undocumented immigrants with a palpable sense of urgency, one hardly drained by the controversial aftermath of SB 1070.

"I will not back off until we solve the problem of this illegal invasion," Pearce said during an enlightening interview with NPR. "Invaders, that's what they are. Invaders on the American sovereignty and it can't be tolerated."

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons; Video credit: azcentral