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Russell Pearce Points to U-Haul Rentals to Prove Arizona’s SB 1070’s “Success”

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One year after Arizona’s infamous SB 1070 immigration bill was signed into law, chief architect Senate President Russell Pearce is convinced that the legislation is an unqualified success.

Pearce told the East Valley Tribune last week:

“They’re leaving in caravans,” he said of illegal immigrants.  “I’ve talked to a U-Haul dealer.  He said business has never been better.”

We’re not experts when it comes to using U-Haul metrics to justify local immigration policies—but aren’t U-Hauls used for moving in and out?  And don’t “real,” non-immigrant Americans use them too?

KGUN9 News got to the bottom of Pearce’s statement and, not surprisingly, found out that he’s making stuff up.  Since SB 1070 became law last year, slightly more people have moved into Arizona than have left.  U-Haul doesn’t track the immigration status of those who rent their vehicles, nor do they keep tabs on people’s ethnicity or the reasons they’re moving.  In fact, a valid Arizona driver’s license is required to rent a U-Haul in the state, meaning that undocumented immigrants would have a significantly harder time obtaining a vehicle than legal residents.  In the KGUN9 News clip (which you can watch below), U-Haul spokesperson Joanne Fried says she has “no idea where [Pearce’s people] are getting their information from.”