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With many members absent, the Arizona House early Wednesday defeated a bill to criminalize the presence of all illegal immigrants in the state and draw local police officers deeper into the fight against illegal immigration. Though absenteeism likely was a factor in the bill’s defeat, Pearce said he wasn’t surprised that the measure failed in the House. “Some people support law breakers over law keepers,” he said. “How many more officers are we going to have killed?” He said he would keep trying to get the bill to become law and might gather signatures to take it to the ballot.