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.
