The architect of the state's tough new immigration law is branding as fiction a report by National Public Radio that claims the private prison industry was a driving force behind the bill.
Laura Sullivan, in a report broadcast Thursday, said these private prison companies "had a plan, a new business model to lock up illegal immigrants. And the plan became Arizona's immigration law."
But Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, said the report ignored a host of key points. That specifically includes the fact that Pearce has sponsored variants of what eventually became SB 1070 in the past. That is before the annual meeting last December of the American Legislative Exchange Council, the meeting at which Sullivan said the legislation was put together with the help of private prison officials.
"I've introduced this bill in '05, '06, '07, '08, '09 and 2010," Pearce said.
For example, Pearce sponsored legislation last year to forbid public officials from limiting the ability of police officers to question or detain suspected illegal immigrants. Another 2009 bill would make any illegal immigrant in Arizona guilty of the state crime of trespass.
Both are key elements of what eventually became SB 1070.
Pearce specifically denied this is the work of lobbyists.
"I wrote this bill with the help of some good constitutional attorneys," Pearce said. "Never have had a conversation with prison industry on this bill."
He did acknowledge that there were prison industry representatives present when he took the bill to ALEC last December in hopes of making a model that other states can imitate.
"They're part of a committee that I'm required to go through to get model legislation passed," Pearce said. "That has to be presented to the board."
Key provisions of the state law never took effect after U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton issued an injunction. That is up for review Monday before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Sullivan, in her report, said the new law "could send hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to prison in a way never done before."
There are anywhere from 350,000 to 450,000 illegal immigrants in the state, depending on whose figures are believed. But her report presumes that if they are caught they will be locked up instead of being immediately deported.
"And it could mean hundreds of millions of dollars in profits to private prison companies responsible for housing them," Sullivan said.
Pearce said he does believe that SB 1070, if it is implemented, will result in more illegal immigrants being detained and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And that agency does contract with private companies to incarcerate those who are not immediately deported.
"But that's between them and ICE," Pearce said. "I have nothing to do with that. I don't set their policies or encourage them to do anything except enforce the law."
The report also says SB 1070 "requires police to lock up anyone they stop who cannot show proof they entered the country legally.''
But the bill simply requires police, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of those who they alreasdy have stopped if there is "reasonable suspicion'' that person is in the country illegally. There is no mandate to make an arrest, witht the law saying police "may securely transport'' an illegal immigrant to federal custody.
The NPR report also mentions Gov. Jan Brewer and the fact that two top advisers are former lobbyists for private prison companies. But Brewer said any suggestion that she signed SB 1070 to benefit private prisons is based on a mistaken assumption.
"NPR must be like the president or Eric Holder: They didn't read the bill," she said. "(SB) 1070 doesn't cause incarceration decisions by the state government, only the federal government. Any decisions about their public or private prisons are made by them, not Arizona."
As to illegal immigrants being incarcerated for violating things like the trespass provisions, Pearce said they would wind up in county jails, not in the state prison system which already contracts with private companies.
Pearce pointed out that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio already has designated a portion of his "Tent City" jail for illegal immigrants if the law takes effect.
Slabside posted at 4:17 pm on Thu, Oct 28, 2010.
Russell Pearce please keep up the good fight. Disregard the idiots that label you as racist, Nazi etc. You understand the trouble America is in and all of the naysayers want a European socialist government here in place of our democracy. BTW, I heard on the radio yesterday that the most popular name for newborn male babies in Britain is now Mohammad. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which way the world is heading. BTW... go pound sand bingo... you are an idiot.[beam]
Ration Al posted at 5:21 pm on Thu, Oct 28, 2010.
ALEC is a 501(c). I believe that they are violating IRS laws by writing legislation?
abimopectore posted at 5:30 pm on Thu, Oct 28, 2010.
Look closely at this mendacious politician's words. He states:
"I wrote this bill with the help of some good constitutional attorneys," Pearce said. "Never have had a conversation with prison industry on this bill."
He did acknowledge that there were prison industry representatives present when he took the bill to ALEC last December in hopes of making a model that other states can imitate.
"They're part of a committee that I'm required to go through to get model legislation passed," Pearce said. "That has to be presented to the board."
Since when is ANY legislator "required" to go through any body that's not directly the state government process to get legislation passed?????? Who's kidding who?
chick posted at 6:34 pm on Thu, Oct 28, 2010.
Libs getting desperate.
The anti-SB1070 aligned with the racists of La Raza, communists, socialist and Hispanic speaking countries.
chick posted at 7:54 pm on Thu, Oct 28, 2010.
NPR= National Propaganda Radio
DataMan posted at 8:55 pm on Thu, Oct 28, 2010.
Pearce is a moron that is just snowing the clueless right. TWO people on Brewer's own staff were lobbyists for CCA, including her campaign manager!
OF COURSE this was a means to sc-rew AZ by Pearce! The right just loves it as that (R) after his name is so sexy!
Slabside posted at 11:58 pm on Thu, Oct 28, 2010.
Like I said Russell... stay the course. The lib hax have spoken above as I knew they would.[beam]
rrjenn posted at 10:25 am on Fri, Oct 29, 2010.
Why shouldn't the prison industry be concerned over a law that may affect their industry? Even if they were present, I fail to see a problem. To suggest that SB1070 was specifically designed to benefit the private prison industry is absurd and shows just how desperate the extreme left is to stop SB1070. Perhaps the NPR has a problem with this because they are a private industry and not a socialized (communism) government run industry.
Slabside posted at 12:23 pm on Fri, Oct 29, 2010.
Well said rrjenn.
rrjenn posted at 3:00 pm on Fri, Oct 29, 2010.
So why would Arizona want to rid itself of this parasitical invasion from the south? Perhaps this article from the Boston Herald might explain it a bit.
Jessica Van Sack, Boston Herald, October 27, 2010
Beleaguered Bay State and U.S. taxpayers cough up a staggering $35.7 million this year in free emergency health care for more than 52,000 illegal aliens in Massachusetts, sparking outrage from candidates and critics who back a tougher line on immigration.
And that is just the medical bills for those hard working immigrants who just do the jobs Americans wont do like stealing citizen's identity. Retard Napolitano and most of the lefty's like Rich and forkedlift1 must think that it's alright to waste millions paying for illegals but a million spent taking our immigration laws to court is such a waste of tax payers money.. After all, they are good voting democrats aren't they? Once we get the racist mestizo groups under control and take back our country from the communistos that plague or nation, we will have a lot of extra money to pay all the bills.
rrjenn posted at 7:23 pm on Fri, Oct 29, 2010.
Rich you are so funny you make me sick. Why don't you take your rumors and outright lies somewhere you will be better appreciated for the socialist lefty that you are. But I would love to hear you expound on how Pearce or anyone else in power here in Arizona is dismantling my country and my way of life. Truth is that Pearce and the rest are dismantling your country and way of life and not mine at all. Truth is we are in the midst of reclaiming America for Americans and you people cannot stand it! Truth is we are tired of your old stale socialist whining and are going to restore Americas greatness. And I hope it drives your kind to suicide.
YetAnotherBob posted at 8:40 pm on Fri, Oct 29, 2010.
Rich,
Help me out here. When you talk about someone doing criminal things and getting help from cronies, are you meaning Bill Clinton or Barack Obama?
zeebee1 posted at 7:33 am on Sun, Oct 31, 2010.
I'm not sure how the facts could be any more clear that SB1070 is/was not a collusion of private prison companies and conservative lawmakers. As a State Correctional Officer, last evening I did half-hourly checks on a lock-down inmate held for ICE to pick up on Monday. Several other Department of Corrections "officers" in the same Unit slept and snored the night away, as they always do. I am daily appalled at the lazy, stupid, obese, uneducated--did I say LAZY?--"officers" employed by the Departmen tof Corrections. As a State agency, it is difficult to fire these frauds/wastes of taxpayer dollars. A private prison company can fire these pieces of waste, saving the taxpayers multi-millions of dollars in their salary, their sick time, their annual leave, their constantly being late and CONSTANTLY sleeping on the job, not to mention destroying expensive tax-payer paid equipment. People...if you only knew.
There is also whispers of the DOC top-level people actually engineering the escape of high-level inmates from Kingman in order to "blame" this on a private prison. Start with the fact that the DOC classified as "low-level" the high-custody level inmates they sent to a low-security yard. They knew better.
If the Public only knew what else went on within the State DOC, many would be calling for a complete disbandment of this extremely inept, wasteful agency that is every hour of every day perpetrating a fraud on the taxpaying public.
rrjenn posted at 4:34 pm on Tue, Nov 2, 2010.
Rich you are so funny you make me sick. Why don't you take your rumors and outright lies somewhere you will be better appreciated for the socialist lefty that you are. But I would love to hear you expound on how Pearce or anyone else in power here in Arizona is dismantling my country and my way of life. Truth is that Pearce and the rest are dismantling your country and way of life and not mine at all. Truth is we are in the midst of reclaiming America for Americans and you people cannot stand it! Truth is we are tired of your old stale socialist whining and are going to restore Americas greatness. And I hope it drives your kind to suicide.
rrjenn posted at 6:25 pm on Tue, Nov 2, 2010.
You know what? Nobody cares at all whether Pearce and the private prison industry have a mutual connection with SB1070. So why don't you Pearce, rule of law hating, illegal criminal loving morons go find a new toy to play with and quit bothering the grownups. Grow up Rich. You just don't get it and never will.
terryt posted at 10:55 am on Wed, Nov 10, 2010.
I think Mr. Pearce lies through his teeth. Also why are Arpio and others saying we must hold illegals indefinately? Why should Americans have to pay room and board to keep them locked up forever? It does NOT make sense, you want to save money and that is the answer? Maybe all white people should go back to wherever they came from . I dont think any Native Americans ask them to stay here. White man took everything away from the Natives and said it was right. They bought slaves from Africa to do there labor then didn't want them when they smarted up and learned to read. They brought in Chinese to work the rails for nest to nothing and got upset when they became business owners. Mexicans have always been allowed to come in and pick fruits etc. for the white farmers that couldn't get white people to do the work cheap and as fast as a Mexican. Russel Pearce are you afraid some day a Mexican will take your place?
forkedlift1 posted at 9:47 am on Fri, Nov 19, 2010.
Hear ye, hear ye. "Nobody cares at all whether Pearce and the private prison industry have a mutual connection with SB 1070."
[beam]
rrjenn posted at 10:11 pm on Mon, Nov 22, 2010.
Ya that's right forky. Nobody cares but little people like you. And when you really think about it, why would anyone care if they wrote the whole law for him. "hold illegals indefinitely?" Who but an idiot would think of such an ignorant thing to say? I'm sure forky agrees.