USA Today published a useful investigation today (7/15/11) finding that “rates of violent crime along the U.S./Mexico border have been falling for years,” that U.S. border cities are “statistically safer on average than other cities in their states” and “border cities, big and small, have maintained lower crime rates than the national average, which itself has been falling.”
The USA Today report is not the first to dispel what it calls the “bloody” picture of the U.S. border with Mexico. But while it cites politicians, including Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, for spreading the myth, the piece lets right-wing media, including national pundits like Bill O’Reilly, off the hook. (As FAIR has repeatedly noted, O’Reilly has been a key propagandist pushing the border violence lie.)
But mainstream corporate outlets have done their share, too. As I pointed out in April’s Extra! (“Worthy and Unworthy Border Murders“), so-called mainstream reporters frequently embrace the narrative that unauthorized immigration poses a grave threat to the nation.
I’ve lived, with brief respites, in Arizona since 1965. Mexicans, and sometimes Indigenous Americans, have always been the local niggers to a substantial portion of the local “white” population. They are, quite literally, the scapegoats of the dominant, Anglo culture, the “Other” we blame for our own flaws. It’s appalling, but the only way to fight it is with the truth. Thanks for helping to spread it.
Myron Scott, J.D.
Tempe, AZ
I talk to my relatives back east and they tell me how sorry they are for me being out here with all the illegals killing so many people and all I can say in astonishment is “What are you talking about; that’s nonsense?” The right wing haters spread these lies to all the rabid Rush-Fox-TP-ers and it spreads through the syncophant news world like wildfire. Giving people someone to hate works so well that they will let the right wing protect us right out of our civil rights. Sadly when people are hurting and losing their jobs and scared it makes them feel bigger to stand on others and look down. I am far more scared of the right wing, gun toting, anglo population out here than I am of the Hispanic citizens and illegal immigrants.
While I don’t doubt the accuracy of that story, I kind of find it misleading. Illegal immigrants generally don’t just cross the border and plop right down in cities just along it. So if there is residual violence you’re going to see it rise or not rise in so-called “sanctuary cities”. Also, I do think the claims of violence are often overblown but I also think the mainstream media (asides from the repugnant Fox) underplays the drain these immigrants are on cities….take a look at healthcare costs in a city like Houston. I get frustrated with most media coverage of the immigration issue…I’d like to see more of a view like mine. I have nothing against the immigrants personally as they’re just trying to better themselves and feed their families and they’ve been exploited by businesses here for years. That said, no economy helps itself by absorbing hundreds of thousands of most non-educated, unskilled laborers….the only people that helps are business owners out to make a quick buck and not pay people a decent wage.
All that said, I’m in favor of an amnesty…with deportations limited only to folks we know have truly heinous criminal records. But this time, unlike Reagan’s amnesty, it needs to be followed up by strict enforcement of the borders and lowering the numbers on legal immigration. While there are plenty of people like Donna describes above…people fearful, angry, and some just plain racist…that are going to scream from the rafters about any, usually non-white, immigrants…I think all too often people have their “better angels” appealed to by the pro-immigration crowd just so they can bring people over to pay them less money and create more profits for big business. Look up the recent Dan Rather report on worker visas and see what I mean…and that’s totally legal! I know it’s a pipedream…but I’m more interested in our government helping Mexico to weed out corruption in it’s own government and come up with some more equitable trade policies (nix the disaster that NAFTA has been). I know…dream on!
I don’t trust the story at all.And in the end if we had a zero crime rate we still would have to seal the boarders. Security demands it.We have massive” illegal” immigration.Remember that word.It does matter.Massive drug flow(still illegal)…..Now the libs would say allow the immigrants.Legalize drugs.The usual brain dead fodder