Remember, SB 1070 is supposedly a reaction to rampant border violence:
Just listen to the state’s governor, Jan Brewer (R): “Our law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert either buried or just lying out there that have been beheaded.”
Whoa! Gruesome! And this never-ending parade of carnage and death in the Grand Canyon State is apparently only getting worse:
“And the majority of [undocumented immigrants], in my opinion, and I think in the opinion of law enforcement, is that they are not coming here to work. They are coming here and they’re bringing drugs. And they’re doing drop houses and they’re extorting people and they’re terrorizing the families. That is the truth.”
Wow. What a nightmare! Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) says the violence in his state is “the worst I’ve ever seen.” At a committee hearing, McCain painted the direst picture: “The violence along our southern border is increasing and impeding everyday life and the peace of mind of our citizens in the border region. Some believe that they are living in a lawless land where there is little or no consequence for the violation of their land, property and well-being.”
Mike Huckabee could only sadly concur, “They’re the No. 1 kidnapping capital in the world. They’ve seen people murdered who were simply trying to take care of their farms and families.”
What a frickin' hellhole!
Of course, all that is bullshit. And in fact, statistics prove that border-region violence is actually down in recent years.
Now, it turns out that border-area residents aren't fearing beheadings and kidnappings.
The findings of the first independent public opinion poll of residents along in border cities in California, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico show that residents feel their border communities are as safe as most communities in the nation. The release of the report comes on the heels of the House of Representatives passage of a $600 million in supplemental funding for border enforcement (HR 6080) calling for more money and agents to the Southern border. The poll results confirm the disconnect between the widespread perception of chaos at the border and the less dramatic picture of reality of border life.
According to the poll, commissioned by the Border Network for Human Rights, a community organization in El Paso, Texas, and conducted by the Reuel Group, 86.5% of border residents said they feel safe walking or driving in their neighborhood during their regular daily activities. Almost 70% said they felt their border neighborhood was as safe as most U.S. neighborhoods and 67% said they felt safe living in their border community.
“Politicians creating border policies need to talk to the people who actually live at the border instead of listening to pundits and opportunistic politicians set to score political points by fanning the perception that the border is out of control,” added Fernando García, Executive Director, Border Network for Human Rights. “It is time to rethink our border policy by increasing the quality and accountability of border enforcement, not the quantity of armed agents and soldiers on our southern border.”
“In law enforcement, there are two things we look at. One is the crime rate and the other is the fear of crime. Because it doesn’t help to have a low crime rate, which we do, if people are afraid of going outside,” said El Paso Sheriff Richard Wiles. “What we see in our community is that people are concerned with graffiti and stray dogs. All the issues of urban areas. Extreme violence is just not happening here and we need to revisit how resources are expanded on the border. That’s a message to send the administration.”
Not that reality has any bearing on the immigration debate among xeonphobic teabaggers and the Republicans vying for their support and approbation.