Fmr. Arizona Sen. Russell Pearce: ‘9/11 Would‘ve Been Averted’ if Federal Government Enforced Immigration Law

Former Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce, who was instrumental in getting Arizona’s controversial immigration law passed, appeared on CNN’s “Starting Point” on Tuesday and told Soledad O’Brien that “9/11 would’ve been averted” if the federal government had enforced immigration law.

Pearce was reacting to the Supreme Court’s ruling on SB-1070, which resulted in three out of four provisions being declared unconstitutional but left one key component in place, the so-called “show me your papers” provision. He said he is “disappointed” the Court did not uphold all of the immigration law but reaffirmed that Arizona will continue enforcing section 2b, which allows police officers with “reasonable suspicion” to check on a person’s immigration status.

Condescendingly, O’Brien asked Pearce how police in Arizona would implement the remaining portion of the bill. “How is it going to be enforced? How’s it going to work? What does it look like? Someone’s driving in a car and they are stopped with a broken taillight – what happens?”

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