Russell Keith Pearce was an American far-right politician who was a Republican member of the Arizona State Senate. He was known for being the driving force for one of the toughest anti-immigration law in Arizona and the US nation at large. He was behind the state’s landmark 2010 immigration legislation known as the “show me your papers”. Pearce was born in Mesa, Arizona to an alcoholic father and impoverished family. He wanted to go to medical school but his family could not afford it. This led ... moreRussell Keith Pearce was an American far-right politician who was a Republican member of the Arizona State Senate. He was known for being the driving force for one of the toughest anti-immigration law in Arizona and the US nation at large. He was behind the state’s landmark 2010 immigration legislation known as the “show me your papers”. Pearce was born in Mesa, Arizona to an alcoholic father and impoverished family. He wanted to go to medical school but his family could not afford it. This led him to join the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office where he served as a sheriff's deputy for twenty-three years. In 2000 he was elected the Arizona House of Representatives serving from from 2001 to 2009. Pearce backed other anti-immigration measures like denying bail to immigrants who were in the United States illegally charged with crimes that ranges from shoplifting to murder. Another law punished employers who hired workers who were in the United States illegally. This caused protests from the community so much so that it, sparked a November 2011 recall election that ousted him from the state Senate, where he served as president from January of the same year. He became the first legislator in Arizona history to be so removed from office.
