Wednesday, June 30, 2010

SB 1070 Sponsor Endorses Andrew Thomas, Criticizes Horne’s Amnesty Plan

SB 1070 Sponsor Russell Pearce Endorses Andrew Thomas For AZ Attorney General
 
Criticizes Opponent For Amnesty Plan
 
PHOENIX, ARIZONA. JUNE 29, 2010.  Much like Senator Russell Pearce, former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas is known for his tough on crime policies and dedication to stopping illegal immigration.  Today, Senator Pearce endorsed Andrew Thomas in his race for Arizona Attorney General.   
 
"I am enthusiastically endorsing Andrew Thomas for Attorney General,” Senator Pearce said.  “He was one of the first to endorse Senate Bill 1070 and actually worked with me on it.  His opponent, Tom Horne, has publicly supported giving amnesty to illegal immigrants who graduate from high school and pass a test.  Andrew Thomas opposes amnesty.  And he's worked closely with Sheriff Arpaio and me to support many effective crackdowns on illegal immigration.  To secure our borders please vote for my friend Andy Thomas for Attorney General."
 
Thomas has also been endorsed by notable Arizona law enforcement leaders including Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Graham County Sheriff P.J. Allred, Yavapai County Sheriff Steve Waugh, Mohave County Attorney Matthew Smith, Mohave County Sheriff Tom Sheahan, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever, Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, Arizona Police Association and former Arizona Attorney General and NRA President Bob Corbin.  Former Arizona State Senator Jonathan Paton and Arizona Right to Life have endorsed Thomas as well.
 
During Thomas' time in office, crime rates plummeted.  The 19 percent drop is more than twice the national rate of decline, in despite of an 11 percent increase in the county's population during that time.  The illegal immigrant population has dropped by anywhere from 18 percent (Dept. of Homeland Security estimate) to 30 percent (Center for Immigration Studies estimate). Like the fall in crime rates, this dramatic decline in illegal immigration is far greater than the average in the rest of the nation. 
 
Thomas has a track record of successfully defending illegal immigration crackdowns in our courts, including his successful efforts to prosecute illegal immigrants for conspiring to violate the state's human-smuggling law and to defend Prop 200's voter ID requirements and the employer-sanctions law, which he defended along with the Attorney General's Office.
 
If elected Attorney General Thomas has pledged to expand that office's prosecutions of illegal immigrants under the state's human smuggling laws. The office is not currently pursuing such prosecutions.
 
Thomas is married with four children.  He is a graduate of Harvard Law School.  Prior to serving as Maricopa County Attorney, Thomas served as an assistant attorney general for Arizona, deputy counsel and criminal justice policy advisor to the Governor, special assistant to the Director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, and a deputy county attorney.   
 
For more information about Andrew Thomas, please go to www.ThomasforArizona.com.  To schedule an interview please contact Jason Rose. 
 

Paid for by Thomas for AG

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