--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Arizona did not make illegal, illegal. It…" description: "\"Arizona did not make illegal, illegal. It is a crime to enter or remain in the U.S. in violation of federal law. States have had inherent authority to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/russell-pearce-21573_arizona_arizona-did-not-make-illegal-illegal-it_155715.png" --- # Arizona did not make illegal, illegal. It is a crime to… ![“Arizona did not make illegal, illegal. It is a crime to enter or remain in the U.S. in violation of federal law. States have had inherent authority to enforce immigration laws when the federal government has failed or refused to do so.” quote by Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/russell-pearce-21573_arizona_arizona-did-not-make-illegal-illegal-it_155715.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/russell-pearce-21573_arizona_arizona-did-not-make-illegal-illegal-it_155715.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/russell-pearce-21573_arizona_arizona-did-not-make-illegal-illegal-it_155715.png) > “Arizona did not make illegal, illegal. It is a crime to enter or remain in the U.S. in violation of federal law. States have had inherent authority to enforce immigration laws when the federal government has failed or refused to do so.” [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. States claim authority to enforce immigration laws when the federal government fails, suggesting a balance of power and responsibility. **In simple terms:** State enforcement of immigration law. Key Takeaway Understand the interplay of federal and state authority. Themes law federalism state rights Mood serious analytical Type political legal When to use this quote - legislative debate - court rulings - public opinion Key Concepts jurisdiction policy border security Questions to Reflect On - How should states act when federal enforcement lapses? - What safeguards protect against overreach? A Different Perspective Conflicts can arise between levels of government. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arizona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arizona/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Federal government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/federal-government/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Immigration law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration-law/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Violation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violation/) ## Related quotes > [Racial discrimination is illegal. It's illegal in the United States. It's illegal in Arizona. It has been and it will continue to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brewer/racial-discrimination-is-illegal-it-s-illegal-in-the-united-states-it/) [Jan Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brewer/) > [We should strengthen our immigration laws to prevent the importation of foreign wages and working conditions. We should make it illegal for employers to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/we-should-strengthen-our-immigration-laws-to-prevent-the-importation/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [“Again, this week as I walked on Broadway, in front of giant photographs of voluptuous supermodels at a Victoria Secret mega-store, who was rebuilding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-troncoso/again-this-week-as-i-walked-on-broadway-in-front-of-giant-photographs/) [Sergio Troncoso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-troncoso/) > [When states like Alabama and Arizona passed some of the harshest immigration laws in history, my Attorney General took them on in court and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/when-states-like-alabama-and-arizona-passed-some-of-the-harshest/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I supported Arizona's immigration law by joining in that lawsuit to defend it. Every day I have Texans on that border that are doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/i-supported-arizona-s-immigration-law-by-joining-in-that-lawsuit-to/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [ The Kansas secretary of state Kris Kobach who helped write the immigration laws in Arizona said that \[Donald\] Trump's policy advisors are drafting, they're… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/the-kansas-secretary-of-state-kris-kobach-who-helped-write-the/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [What (the Arizona immigration law) is likely to mean effectively is that if in the course of a traffic stop, a cop asks you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-lowry/what-the-arizona-immigration-law-is-likely-to-mean-effectively-is/) [Rich Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-lowry/) > [Even if we didn't have a single person in the USA in violation of immigration laws, we'd still have to do immigration reform, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/even-if-we-didn-t-have-a-single-person-in-the-usa-in-violation-of/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [You've got Hezbollah in Arizona. You've got Mexican drug cartels operating in Arizona. You've got the steady stream of illegals over the border, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/you-ve-got-hezbollah-in-arizona-you-ve-got-mexican-drug-cartels/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [If our government has a policy, any political subdivision, that limits or restricts the enforcement of our immigration laws, we will sue them! And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/if-our-government-has-a-policy-any-political-subdivision-that-limits/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [In the absence of a limitation on local enforcement powers, the states are bound by the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/in-the-absence-of-a-limitation-on-local-enforcement-powers-the-states/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/if-voting-changed-anything-they-d-make-it-illegal/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [It's certainly easier to implement bad security and make it illegal for anyone to notice than it is to implement good security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/it-s-certainly-easier-to-implement-bad-security-and-make-it-illegal/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [You either make it illegal, in which case you support a huge underground economy or you tax it within the limits people can afford.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-o-leary/you-either-make-it-illegal-in-which-case-you-support-a-huge/) [Kevin O'Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-o-leary/) > [Liquor - you can make it illegal but you can't make it unpopular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-baer/liquor-you-can-make-it-illegal-but-you-can-t-make-it-unpopular/) [Arthur Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-baer/) ## More by Russell Pearce > [If being recalled is the price for keeping one's promises, then so be it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/if-being-recalled-is-the-price-for-keeping-one-s-promises-then-so-be/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [The 'anchor baby' thing needs to be fixed... Anchor babies are an unconstitutional declaration of citizenship to those born of non-Americans. It's wrong, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/the-anchor-baby-thing-needs-to-be-fixed-anchor-babies-are-an/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [President Obama has decided to have the United Nations review the law of Arizona. You have got to be kidding! We're now going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/president-obama-has-decided-to-have-the-united-nations-review-the-law/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [An estimated 9,000 American citizens are killed every year by illegal aliens. Thats 25 American citizens per day killed by illegal aliens, averaging 12…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/an-estimated-9-000-american-citizens-are-killed-every-year-by-illegal/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [It takes four private-sector jobs to support every public-sector employee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/it-takes-four-private-sector-jobs-to-support-every-public-sector/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [Arizona has become a national leader in the restoration of the Rule of Law, with over 100,000 illegal aliens having left the state since 2007.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/arizona-has-become-a-national-leader-in-the-restoration-of-the-rule/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [Go after the illegal employers. No free stuff. Take the handcuffs off law enforcement. They'll go home! They'll self-deport! The problem today is they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/go-after-the-illegal-employers-no-free-stuff-take-the-handcuffs-off/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [An estimated 9,000 American citizens are killed every year by illegal aliens. That's 25 American citizens per day killed by illegal aliens, averaging 12…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/an-estimated-9-000-american-citizens-are-killed-every-year-by-illegal-2/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [ You put me in charge of Medicaid, the first thing I'd do is get \[female recipients\] Norplant, birth-control implants, or tubal ligations. Then, we'll… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/you-put-me-in-charge-of-medicaid-the-first-thing-i-d-do-is-get-female/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [Of course a politician's promise isn't worth the paper it's written on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/of-course-a-politician-s-promise-isn-t-worth-the-paper-it-s-written-on/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [Illegal is not a race, it is a crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/illegal-is-not-a-race-it-is-a-crime/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [The murder of Robert Krentz - whose family had been ranching in Arizona since 1907 - by illegal alien drug dealers was the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/the-murder-of-robert-krentz-whose-family-had-been-ranching-in-arizona/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [Sen. Robert Menendez's Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010 would try to nullify every single state and local law that fights illegal immigration. Congressman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/sen-robert-menendez-s-comprehensive-immigration-reform-act-of-2010/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [I knew Arizona's SB 1070 would be controversial when I introduced it, but I did not expect the national immigration debate to revolve around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/i-knew-arizona-s-sb-1070-would-be-controversial-when-i-introduced-it/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) > [Good people can disagree - all you want is honesty, because you know, if I disagree, I'm willing to debate you on that, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/good-people-can-disagree-all-you-want-is-honesty-because-you-know-if/) [Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) [Explore all 29 Russell Pearce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/) ## More Arizona quotes > [No man-made structure in all of American history has been hated so much, by so many, for so long, with such good reason, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/no-man-made-structure-in-all-of-american-history-has-been-hated-so/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Fifty thousand people in Mexico have been murdered. Puerto Penasco, 60 miles south of our border, just had five people and a police officer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brewer/fifty-thousand-people-in-mexico-have-been-murdered-puerto-penasco-60/) [Jan Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brewer/) > [I didn't know much about the Mexican gray wolf before January 2011, when we contributed a flight in our Pilatus PC12 to the effort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-covey/i-didn-t-know-much-about-the-mexican-gray-wolf-before-january-2011/) [Joy Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-covey/) > [I'm an Arizona boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cejudo/i-m-an-arizona-boy/) [Henry Cejudo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cejudo/) > [I often say that Arizonans should decide what's best for Arizona.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-d-hull/i-often-say-that-arizonans-should-decide-what-s-best-for-arizona/) [Jane D. Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-d-hull/) > [I went to Phoenix, Arizona for 'Angel Unchained,' and they'd hire the bike gang from Phoenix to be extras in the movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-bishop/i-went-to-phoenix-arizona-for-angel-unchained-and-they-d-hire-the/) [Larry Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-bishop/) > [Sarah Palin is brilliant. She is a media magnet and a media magnate. She creates headlines and draws crowds wherever she goes, whether it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/sarah-palin-is-brilliant-she-is-a-media-magnet-and-a-media-magnate/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [Arizona just became the 15th state to approve medical marijuana. So I give it three days before they stop caring about the whole immigration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/arizona-just-became-the-15th-state-to-approve-medical-marijuana-so-i/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [If liberals had been in charge of the Arizona memorial, it would probably have featured an exhaustive exhibit about the internment of Japanese Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/if-liberals-had-been-in-charge-of-the-arizona-memorial-it-would/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [My concerns through the years increased about the concerns of an independent judiciary and how we maintain it. Certainly in the states. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-day-o-connor/my-concerns-through-the-years-increased-about-the-concerns-of-an/) [Sandra Day O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-day-o-connor/) > [I grew up in rural Arizona. My dad ran a general store. I grew up learning to do more with less. And I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-kirkpatrick/i-grew-up-in-rural-arizona-my-dad-ran-a-general-store-i-grew-up/) [Ann Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-kirkpatrick/) > [In the empire of desert, water is the king and shadow is the queen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/in-the-empire-of-desert-water-is-the-king-and-shadow-is-the-queen/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [What most people don't understand is that UFOs are on a cosmic tourist route. That's why they're always seen in Arizona, Scotland, and New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-cooper/what-most-people-don-t-understand-is-that-ufos-are-on-a-cosmic/) [Alice Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-cooper/) > [Arizona faces many challenges ahead. None is more important or more pressing than passing a new state budget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-d-hull/arizona-faces-many-challenges-ahead-none-is-more-important-or-more/) [Jane D. Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-d-hull/) > [Legislators in Kansas, Arizona and 23 other states who are properly determined to protect religious freedom can begin by asking themselves: Does any religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blankenhorn/legislators-in-kansas-arizona-and-23-other-states-who-are-properly/) [David Blankenhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blankenhorn/) [Browse all 299 Arizona quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arizona/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Arizona did not make illegal, illegal. It is a crime to enter or remain in the U.S. in violation of federal law. States have had inherent authority to enforce immigration laws when the federal government has failed or refused to do so.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Russell Pearce" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/arizona-did-not-make-illegal-illegal-it-is-a-crime-to-enter-or-remain/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arizona" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/arizona-did-not-make-illegal-illegal-it-is-a-crime-to-enter-or-remain/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/russell-pearce-21573_arizona_arizona-did-not-make-illegal-illegal-it_155715.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/russell-pearce-21573_arizona_arizona-did-not-make-illegal-illegal-it_155715.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/russell-pearce-21573_arizona_arizona-did-not-make-illegal-illegal-it_155715.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Arizona did not make illegal, illegal. It is a crime to enter or remain in the U.S. in violation of federal…” — Russell Pearce", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Russell Pearce", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Arizona did not make illegal, illegal....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/arizona-did-not-make-illegal-illegal-it-is-a-crime-to-enter-or-remain/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/arizona-did-not-make-illegal-illegal-it-is-a-crime-to-enter-or-remain/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```