Does Illegal Immigration = Violence? A look at the facts
“”The horrendous violence we see by narco-terrorists is uncontrolled, and our own federal government refuses to fulfill its responsibility to secure our border…” Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona said after a recent shooting of a deputy allegedly by Mexican drug operatives. The current immigration situation in Arizona has dominated the media; Sarah Palin emphasized “We are all Arizonans now” at a May 15 rally in support of the new Arizona immigration law, S.B. 1070. Support in Arizona for the new legislation has hit over 60% although the state has seen an influx of out-of-state protesters joining domestic dissenters in a polarizing fight that continues to heat up. The Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police has risen against this bill in their statements concerning the legislation: “The provisions of the bill remain problematic and will negatively affect the ability of law enforcement agencies across the state to fulfill their many responsibilities in a timely manner.” The fight has pit mayors against mayors and police chiefs against police chiefs, and media has continued to comment on the implications of the bill.
What many seem to forget to do in all of the political commentary and spin is to analyze the facts. Over and over again, the media pushes an idea that “spillover violence” is a legitimate issue and that violence due to illegal immigration, rather than drug trafficking, is the issue. Countless claims of Arizona being under siege, mounting spill over violence, and rising crime rates are due to an “unsecure” border, and the recent Arizona immigration law is supposed to be an answer to that. But are those assumption necessarily true? In other words, does illegal immigration = rising violence? The answer seems to be a resounding no.
A renown study by Robert J. Sampson show significant and surprising results when it comes to Hispanic immigrants and violence. This study explains that during the greatest influx of foreign immigrants, mostly from Mexico, the immigrant population grew to about 31 million, and during that decade the national homicide rate actually declined dramatically. As a matter of fact, El Paso, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Diego have all been ranked as some of the safest cities in the U.S. and are also famous enclaves for illegal immigrants. Surprisingly enough, El Paso is just across the border from Juarez, a Mexican town that has been riddled with mounting drug violence, yet continues to remain one America’s safest cities to live in. Pima County (Southern Arizona) sheriff Clarence Dupnik is quoted:”This is a media-created event. I hear politicians on TV saying the border has gotten worse. Well, the fact of the matter is that the border has never been more secure.”
There is much polarization over this immigration issue. The problem that is evident though is the blurring of the distinctive line between drug violence and illegal immigration. Drug violence and smuggling in the U.S. is predominantly rooted in Mexican cartels, but can be argued that it has escalated due to severe actions taken by President Calderon within the past several years, with notable arrests of both cartel leaders and tens of thousands of smugglers, all with the cooperation of partnering forces from the U.S. Another side of the issue is the demand for drugs that U.S. consumers create, which in essence funds the cartels and the violence that comes with them. This is not an immigration problem, it’s a drug problem.
Immigration can use reform, but S.B. 1070 is not the answer. It does not address the issue of drug violence, which is apparently what the legislation was drafted to confront. Rather, it diverts the issue and does a sloppy job of doing anything to help immigration reform. It’s creating an issue out of thin air, as several Arizonan police chiefs and deputies admit. Immigrants are increasingly important facets of border town economies and social structures, and deporting them over a speeding ticket rather than creating a federal amnesty program for them is simply foolish. What we need is immigration reform in which peaceful and productive Mexican aliens may enter the American system and not only be held accountable for any violations of the law, but also enjoy the benefits and freedoms that come with becoming American citizens. This is the spirit of America, and this is not represented in S.B. 1070.
Illegal immigration is not the primary problem, only a symptom. You can pour money into a secondary problem that will never address the primary one. What is our policy towards economiic development in Mexico? How has globalization (NAFTA) contributed to this problem? Are we better off spending money within the country for a limited time, or fighting and endless stream of illegals forever? Can we realistically help improve things within Mexico? What will happen to our economy without this pool of labor? I will be the first to say that I have no understanding of what Arizonans may be dealing with, but the end doesn’t justify the means. These are human beings we are talking about, and there but for the grace of God go I. We can’t responsibly support economic policy that contributes to this problem, then support a tight-fisted policy to deal with a train wreck that has our fingerprints on it. We must also learn to distinguish between and undocumented worker and an undocumented criminal. The murder of Rob Kentz is but 1 example of the terrible violence that Arizonans are having to deal with, but the fact remains that the vast majority’s only crime is to cross illegally in search of a better life. McCain had it right a few years ago: if we are going to deal with this as a nation, begin with the 12 million illegals here now, get tough on worker verification, then focus on the borders.
Seems to me like trying to keep out some of the people who are perpetrating the drug violence is a good way to combat it. I don’t see what other laws could be passed to fight drug violence. It’s not any different than plain old violence. The effect is the same, and we already have laws outlawing plain old violence. And the demand for drugs is already being fought with plenty of tax payer dollars. Not sure what else can be done in that arena. Only the truly ignorant are anti-immigration. The rest of us are anti-illegal, not just anti-illegal immigration. Anyone who wants to come to this great country is welcome to, but there is no reason they can’t do it legally. If you want to play on the field, you have to play by the rules.
Robert, for you to say “the border has never been more secure” is jumping the gun a little on the conclusion that violence along the border has not increased. This renown study was conducted 3 years ago, before the surge in drug violence which really began to curve to higher levels drastically around late 2008. Furthermore, even Robert Sampson notes in his counterpoints that this information is not enough to form a direct correlation. Many of the points you make here are based on what I would consider as outdated.
Also, violent crime trends throughout the board have dropped quite a bit. There was a half hour segment reported on NPR’s All things considered a few weeks back that I caught on my way back from Va. The segment was pointing out that despite the popular notion that a staggering economy would push towards more crime and violence, the opposite shows as true in crime trends.
President Calderon is not doing enough to curtail the drug violence taking place. Dad has two close friends of whose father just lost his life after being machine gunned down trying to resist a kidnapping by cartels looking for money. There was a similar case that took place in Arizona rancher Robert Krantz was murdered by an illegal immigrant with ties to cartels. Granted this case could have very well been used as a political soap box, it was still a heinous crime. I believe that Arizona has a sovereign right to defend its people if that is what the people want. Regardless we are not Arizonians, nor do we live in Arizona, that includes Sarah Palin and her majority of followers. This is an issue for the legal citizens of Arizona to take a vote on.
The drug problem at the rate it is headed will eventually spill over the American border if it has not already.
To JJ:
A response to JJ, drug cartels and economic issues are two different problems on two different playing fields. You can pump as much money as you want into the Mexican economy, it will not fix the problem with the cartels. They are an extremely well financed business that no other type of business other than investments can really compete with financially. Let me give you this scenario, you are a middle class worker, you make a decent living and the cartel comes to you and says you have two choices, work for us and make twice your current salary, or don’t and we gun you down, rape your wife, daughters, kill them and any other friends. That is the reality of the depth of evil behind this situation.
JJ: Sorry, my fingers typed a little more quickly then my mind could keep up. The U.S. is Mexico’s biggest source for exports. The corruption on the customs and government level however are pretty rampant. I believe the U.S. has done everything hey can do without crossing into the sovereignty of Mexico as a nation. Also, Mexico is the 13th largest economy in the world. DISCLAIMER: What I’m about to say might start a turmoil…I truly feel that the social well being of a nation is rooted in something soo much deeper then its economic standing. It has more to do with the intrinsic value a culture puts on themselves and their people. Case and point, a homeless man in the U.S. gets murdered and there is an investigation and justice brought behind it. A wealthy business owner gets murdered in Mexico, or many other Latin American nations, there is not investigation, the police do not do their job, and the victim becomes just another statistic for the books.
The acceptance to crime and violence as well as the justice being a right not a privilege is another big factor. Justice for N. Americans is a right, a civic duty. Many of our neighbors to the South do not feel the same.
Ok, I’m going to try to respond first to these comments, then the comments on face in order. Here we go:
J.J. : That’s basically my point. There is a distinction that needs to be made, and this law does nothing to help. One one side we have illegal immigration.
The majority of those here illegally are here for opportunity. They are peaceful, they form in their communities, and they work here and send money back to their families. If they are deported, eventually they will come back and attempt to work here and be productive again. Again, economically it’s worth it for them.
The other side is that there are a few very powerful cartels in Mexico that are meeting an incredibly powerful demand here in the U.S. They are in cahoots, and they are horrifically violent. That violence hasn’t been extremely prevalent in the border towns and cities, but it is still a major issue that DHS has begun to fight and partner with Mexico.
The distinction I’m trying to make is between the few horrifically violent, and the overwhelming majority of those that are here for opportunity.
Ryan:
“Seems to me like trying to keep out some of the people who are perpetrating the drug violence is a good way to combat it.”
This isn’t just “some” of the people, this is a very broad brush. The fact that a mom can be pulled over for a speeding ticket, and find herself deported the next day is not an answer.
The argument that “they are illegal, they need to get out of our country” devalues not only their lives, but our very American Principle. It’s often very difficult to become an American citizen, benny (his wife) can attest to that, and several people I know can as well (that are here illegally). And not only that, but if all illegals were deported, it would ruin these border towns and cities economically, they have become serious producers within those economic structures. True immigration reform needs an amnesty and a worker-stay program, this law does not do any of that. It will not stop the violence, it will only hurt AZ
Now, again, with the distinction, there are other ways to fight violence. There are new ideas! Legalize some drugs, lessen the barriers of consumption. Freeze the assets of these cartel leaders. The recent fight has been incredibly effective, the rise in violence surely attests to that. To say “there is not much more we can do” is blind to the fact that we have and continue to do much about this issue. Read the Congressional Research Office’s 2008 report on Mexico’s drug cartels, and see how the beefing up of Mexican and U.S. offensive forces have affected the cartels, and should continue to.
“Robert, for you to say “the border has never been more secure” is jumping the gun a little on the conclusion that violence along the border has not increased.”
Well, I didn’t say this, researchers did, as well as sherrifs and deputies recently in the border towns. Again, many of these border towns are ranked as some of the safest in the U.S. to this day.
“President Calderon is not doing enough to curtail the drug violence taking place.”
That may be so, but again, I recommend you read the report on Mexico’s Drug Cartels done by the Congressional Research Office. Here’s a tid-bit:
“From January 2000 through September 2006, the Mexican government arrested
over 79,000 people on charges related to drug trafficking. Of these arrests, some
78,831 are low level drug dealers. Mexico also arrested 15 cartel leaders, 74
lieutenants, 53 financial officers, and 428 hitmen (sicarios).4 In addition, Mexican
authorities arrested nearly 10,000 people on drug-related charges from December
2006 through August 2007.5 On August 16, 2006, the United States Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Coast Guard arrested Tijuana cartel leader
Francisco Javier Arellano Felix, along with other Tijuana cartel leaders, on a boat off
the Mexican coast.6 His brother, Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix, was extradited to
the United States in September 2006. In January 2007, Mexico extradited 15 persons
wanted for prosecution in the United States, including four senior drug traffickers.”
And just because AZ may support this law, yes technically they have the right to vote for it, but that does not mean it will be effective in it’s focus. It’s meant to stop or curtail the violence caused by drug traffickers. It does not address that, it paints a broad brush on illegal immigrants.
Alright, and now to address the Facebook comments. I’ll start with Ryan’s:
“As far as an amnesty program, I don’t see why any illegal aliens would apply for amnesty. The only difference, then, would be that they have to pay taxes.”
Well, no. There is incredible incentive to become a citizen. I’ll count a few:
#1. you don’t get deported. you don’t have to start over when you come back (i.e. assimilate into a community, find a job….)
#2. You are protected as an american citizen. This is an incredible incentive, you are offered the incredible opportunities afforded to american citizens
#3. better rights in jobs conditions, rather than working like a slave for cents an hour. This would take some economic adaptability in the area, because obviously mexicans would be able to organize and demand better compensation for their work, whereas now they cannot.
#4. access to schooling and government programs like health care. Also, representation in our government. 31 million mexican immigrants represented in the U.S. is quite a benefit for them
To say there is no incentive to become an american citizen except that they would pay taxes is taking our citizenship and the benefits of being a part of America for granted (I don’t know if you realized that *not saying that facetiously)
As for the article you put up, i’m not sure. It goes directly against an article I cited. I.e.:
Fox says this:
“To say that this area is out of control is an understatement,” said an agent who patrols the area and asked not to be named. “We (federal border agents), as well as the Pima County Sheriff Office and the Bureau of Land Management, can attest to that.”
AZ central says this:
“Clarence Dupnik, the sheriff of Pima County, said there always has been crime associated with smuggling in southern Arizona, but today’s rhetoric does not seem to jibe with reality. “This is a media-created event,” Dupnik said. “I hear politicians on TV saying the border has gotten worse. Well, the fact of the matter is that the border has never been more secure.”
And mine was published just one month before the Fox article was…maybe some are changing their minds due to the politicization of the whole issue? Idk…
Regardless, again, this legislation doesn’t address the issue, it’s just bad policy.
Charles:
“i believe that the reason for lower homicide rates is due to better law enforcement and that the violence is more focused on routes for trafficing drugs.”
I believe that partly as well. Again, this article tries to make that distinction. It’s the drug traffickers, not the overwhelming majority of peaceful illegal immigrants, that are the cause of this violence. This law doesn’t help the issue.
And maybe the increase in fighting against drug cartels has led to an increase in violence perpetrated by the drug cartels? That is surely a very plausible solution.
“Correlation does not prove causation!” Of course! I’m a marketing major (we study research methods as well), but it does not disprove it either, again, it’s simply a correlation. It’s indicative, and reading the report would give you more reasons as to why these points may be so. Like hispanic social organization, incentive to remain peaceful under threat of deportation, and so on.
“the economy is a VERY SIGNIFICANT indicator of crime”
that may be so, but that’s very different from immigration being a VERY SIGNIFICANT indicator of crime. Interestingly enough, despite our current hard economic times, crime rates have declined across the nation:
http://www.allbusiness.com/crime-law-enforcement-corrections/criminal-offenses-crimes/14592648-1.html
Granted, this is an outlier, and we are not out of the woods just yet
my point is that illegal immigration does not equal increases in violence.
Robert,
Maybe a fresh and accurate assessment of the situation with a new study conducted should be done. I feel that every official that has recently contributed has an agenda behind them. Crime as a whole has declined in the States over the past 10 years. Before any reform by the government, there is a need for unbiased study over the matter to construct an accurate list of priorities in this coming reform. Immigration reform is only a matter of time.
First it was Colombia, now it’s Mexico… This reminds me of a story of a man who married many times. As he retired alone in a home I asked him, “What happened? Why did you marry so many times?” He responded, “I guess I was not lucky with women.” I replied, “Maybe the women who married you were the unlucky ones.”
I fully concur with Robert’s analysis and have seen it with many Mexican friends who I suspect are illegal. I don’t speak with assumptions but I see in the illegal immigrant a human being who is trying his best to take care of his family. We all sanctimoniously stand on “it’s against the law”. Well, if it was your kid going hungry and missing opportunities, that “law” takes a second place to the well being of your family. Remember that it was more than illegal, inhumane and murderous what our ancestors did to the American Indians, and yet today we stand on the gains from those massacres and territorial incarcerations.
As Robert well stated in his essay, Crime and illegal immigration are unrelated… It’s easy to blame the poor immigrant but the cause of drug related crimes lies with every American who uses drugs, and our inability to stop funding these criminals who produce it. We can spend billions upon billions trying to cure the symptom of this problem (drug cartels), but will continue to be increasingly ineffective. There is a line of hundreds waiting for every drug producing criminal we jail or kill. I will never understand how come we don’t see this futile waste of money. For every dollar spend on law enforcement and international policing of drug production and trafficking, we only spend a minimal fraction of it on prevention and rehabilitation. A drug addict can buy drugs everywhere, but cannot find effective help to cure his addiction anywhere. Do you see something wrong here?
On the immigration issue I read someone commenting that the illegal immigrants don’t want to pay taxes. Be careful with this kind of invalid assumption and stereotype (mother of prejudice), that the illegal immigrant is here to take advantage of the system and cheat on taxes. The illegal immigrant is scared of deportation, not of paying taxes. If the illegal status of the immigrant worker would be normalized, they would be able to receive the benefits and protection they currently lack. Under the normalized system we can make the employer pay for their taxes. Everyone wins!
Excellent Comments! Dang.
Benny, I concede, we could always use better research ( i don’t understand where the bias would come from on this research project, I guess you could argue bias for anything under the sun, I don’t think that’s a plausible or valid argument against the indications of the report).
The fact is that illegal immigration has nothing to do with the violence! Deporting people for speeding is not the answer! It will not solve the drug problem, it will not shut down the drug cartels, it will not stop the violence. There is no correlation, and if there is any correlation, the influx of immigrants peaked in the late 90′s, which also saw a great decline in crime.
This seems to be an easy attack on poor immigrants, just like how the writers of this bill want to deny those born in the U.S. citizenship, calling them “anchor babies” of immigrants:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100612/us_time/08599199606400
It’s not right, it’s under bad motives, bad information, and bad direction. It will not solve the problem of drug-induced violence in AZ or anywhere else.
“It’s creating an issue out of thin air…”
Maybe not thin air… but definitely low on the substance meter. The simple fact that there are issues / problems that seep in through the borders is valid. But not enough to justify some of the vagueness.
I agree, we need to make it possible for those peaceable, hard-working, predominantly family-oriented hispanics to come in easily and do the work they want to do. I can promise, there aren’t vast populations of US citizens which are competing for their work. I’ve seen the quality of some of the work of my hispanic friends… it’s outstanding! I also can’t fault them for working diligently to earn MONEY and use THEIR MONEY to pay for THEIR FAMILY to eat. At least they’re working.
Well.. yeah… I agree to some degree. I believe we will see the reverberations of this legislation in our economy in the next 2-4 years.
There’s only one immigrant that needs to be sent back to mexico… Right, rob? =^)
I think we need to resolve the immigration problem, not the Mexican whatever. Immigration is big problem that every president has just put a bandaid.
Schools are over crowded, hospitals are being stuck with bills of illegals.
In fairness not everyone jumps the fence at the mexican/us border rather many come here legally on tourist visas and stay and become illegal. Then they hunt for a job and get hired illegally and the tax base also gets a stab. So the problem trickles into many parts of our society that has to STOP and be FIXED.
1-95% of illegal immigrants are good people trying to make it. I don’t believe in sending 14 million illegals back, but to make steps in making them LEGAL.
2-Jumping the fence at the border is ILLEGAL, but that shit happens all day long and the US needs to protect its borders PERIOD. For drugs, mexicans, criminals, better life whatever the reason US needs to protect its borders and citizens. PERIOD. We’re not doing that now.
3-Both republicans and democrats play this political card to get elected so they just don’t do anything.
4-I’m for Latino’s being in this country, contribute to society, and live a better life, but follow the laws in the books or change them, if not it’s illegal.
5-In Mexico, if you enter their country illegally: you get sent back first time, second you get a fine and sent back, 3rd you’re put in jail.
6- Fixing the Problem:
a. If you have water coming into your house, you look where its coming from and you stop the leak. Do the same with immigration. Do a wall, surveillance, more patrols, change laws whatever…stop the leak.
b. Immigration reform should be making those here illegal, legal and to contribute to society. I don’t mean labor efforts, but taxes, giving them right to vote, join military, jury duty. Another good step if those immigrants that just want to work and not stay for a while, give them a work pass for limited time.
c. go after businesses that hire illegals. They’re breaking the law as well. TRust me its not to help a poor mexican. They get cheap labor.
I will continue my rant later, but this should be enough for now.
Those are some great points, putting some new ideas out there, and some points I don’t think we’ve considered!