Yostivanich

It is a con­nec­tion that those who sup­port stronger enforce­ment of immi­gra­tion laws and tighter bor­ders often make: ris­ing crime at the bor­der neces­si­tates tougher enforcement.

But the rate of vio­lent crime at the bor­der, and indeed across Ari­zona, has been declin­ing, accord­ing to the Fed­eral Bureau of Inves­ti­ga­tion, as has ille­gal immi­gra­tion, accord­ing to the Bor­der Patrol. While thou­sands have been killed in Mexico’s drug wars, rais­ing anx­i­ety that the vio­lence will spread to the United States, F.B.I. sta­tis­tics show that Ari­zona is rel­a­tively safe.

via NYTimes.com – On Bor­der Vio­lence, Truth Pales Com­pared to Ideas. Once again per­cep­tion and ide­al­ougy trumps facts.