Russell Pearce, a Republican lawmaker who was the driving force behind Arizona’s landmark 2010 immigration legislation known as the “show me your papers” law, has died.
He was 75.
Pearce’s family said on social media that he died Thursday at his home in Mesa, Arizona, after falling ill.
Pearce rose to national prominence more than a decade ago while advocating for tougher border policies for Arizona, one of the busiest hubs for illegal immigration in the United States.
He was the lead sponsor of SB 1070, which required law enforcement officers to ask about suspects' immigration status if they had reason to believe they were in the U.S. illegally.