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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Arizona governor Jan Brewer immigrant crime claims revealed as nonsense

Posted on Friday, July 09, 2010 at 05:53 PM

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Thank goodness for good journalism.

In one of the best examples of digging beneath the headlines Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank has skewered the nonsense from the right that crime on the Arizona border is out of control.

Instead he finds the border has never been more secure.

Milbank believes Arizona governor Jan Brewer,(above), has lost her mind.

He uses this quote "Our law enforcement agencies have found bodies in the desert either buried or just lying out there that have been beheaded," she announced on local television.

Turns out there is not a shred of evidence to support her claim.

Medical examiners in Arizona's border counties say they had never seen an immigration-related beheading. Brewer's press office refused to comment when asked to defend their claim.

Milbank also nails several other immigration falsehoods being spread by Arizona politicians.

He says these include "Border violence on the rise? Phoenix becoming the world's No. 2 kidnapping capital? Illegal immigrants responsible for most police killings? The majority of those crossing the border are drug mules? All wrong."

He quotes the Arizona Republic which published an exhaustive report that found that, according to the FBI and Arizona police agencies, crime in Arizona border towns has been "essentially flat for the past decade."

For instance , "In 2000, there were 23 rapes, robberies and murders in Nogales, Ariz. Last year, despite nearly a decade of population growth, there were 19 such crimes."

The Pima County sheriff stated that "the border has never been more secure."

FBI statistics also show violent crime in all of the border states are lower than they were a decade ago.

Enter Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who claims that violence is "the worst I have ever seen."

When President Obama told the truth last week that "the southern border is more secure today than any time in the past 20 years," Rush Limbaugh said the president was "fit for the psycho ward" on the basis of his remarks.

Despite this McCain told NBC, ABC and CNN that Phoenix is the "No. 2 kidnapping capital of the world" behind only Mexico City based on an entirely erroneous ABC report in February 2009 "

In fact kidnappings in Phoenix are declining.

Then there's Brewer's claim that "the majority" of people immigrating illegally "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."

How come then the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector has apprehended more than 170,000 undocumented immigrants since Oct. 1, but only about 1,100 drug prosecutions have been filed in Arizona in that time.

So where Milbank asks is this "terrible border security crisis" that Brewer claims has only "gotten worse"?

Fact is it is not remotely as bad as the anti immigrant groups are claiming.

Milbank has done a great service by pointing that out.

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DennisQ | Jul 14, 2010, 01:09 AM EDT

It's not surprising that the majority of Americans like the idea of having a permanent underclass - so long as it's not them. If you call people up on the phone and ask them if they favor control over our borders, an overwhelming number say they do. Americans want to keep foreigners from organizing into labor unions the way former IRA man Mike Quill organized the transport workers back in the 30's. Right wing thinking - which is top-heavy with cartoonish notions of good and evil - impedes our ability to analyze policy and correct mistakes.

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Strongbow | Jul 13, 2010, 09:10 PM EDT

The citizens of the US demand security whether in their neighborhood or their borders and if you are a border state the border is your neighborhood. Secure borders are essential for any country. It is neither a right-wing nor a racist aspiration.

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seanomelbourne | Jul 13, 2010, 07:22 PM EDT

If you have something to say about Australia go for it. I have visited your country many times have relatives there. My father lived there during the depression ,my mother died in Terrytown( N.Y.) hospital and my great grandfather fought for the union and other relatives died fighting fires(FDNY).I do not "badmouth" the U.S.A. I obviously prick the conscience of people like you and Hancock.Maybe Hancock should keep his hands off it.

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IrishAndProud | Jul 13, 2010, 07:19 PM EDT

And this, from the Washington Post (another bastion of the vast, right-wing conspiracy, right?): "Another disenchanted constituency is Hispanics. Latino support for Obama has dropped 12 points since the start of the year, as anger has grown over the Democrats' failure to make immigration reform a priority. Instead of putting forward legislation, Obama delivered a speech this month in which he laid the blame for his failure to act on Republican "demagoguery." Then last Tuesday, the administration filed a lawsuit in federal court to block Arizona's immigration law. This was unnecessary, according to Kris Kobach, the former Justice Department official who helped draft the Arizona law, because the law was already being challenged by the ACLU and other groups: The issue was already tied up in the courts. The Justice Department doesn't add anything by bringing its own lawsuit. These actions were designed to bolster Hispanic support, but they doomed any hope of bipartisan cooperation on immigration. Democrats appear more interested in posturing to win Hispanic votes than getting something accomplished for Hispanic voters. But the strategy may backfire if Latinos see through the charade, and the Arizona lawsuit ends up bringing down Democrats facing tough reelection battles in the West." HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAA! As the song could go: Down, down, down, down-down barack....

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IrishAndProud | Jul 13, 2010, 04:58 PM EDT

Well, Dennis...I guess most of the USA is 'old people' because the Arizona law consistenly enjoys support in the 70% range, not just in AZ but all across the USA. Illegal aliens (not immigrants) have no business in the USA or in any other nation, either...including Australia (which has far tougher immigration laws than the USA). How about I sit here and bad-mouth Australia from afar, a country I'M not even from? I'm sure Sean would appreciate it.

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TWARNER699 | Jul 13, 2010, 12:39 PM EDT

TKYPICAL LEFTIST SPIN. FACT IS THERE IS A GROWING BORDER AREA THAT YOU DO NOT GO INTO UNLESS YOU WANT TO TAKE YOUR CHANCES. THE BILL IS NOT ANTI-IMMIGRANT IT IS ANTI ILLEGAL. BIG DIFFERENCE! FOR PEOPLE WHO CANNOT READ THE ARIZONA BILL IS ONLY GIVING LOCAL AUTHORITIES THE ABILITY TO DO THE GOVERNMENTS JOB SINCE THE WILL NOT DO IT.

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hancock | Jul 13, 2010, 06:26 AM EDT

Why am I a racist? Is That your ready made answer when hit in the nose with something you cant argue with? The way you go on you would think the Rio Grande was In Derry and the Gaza strip was in Belfast.

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DennisQ | Jul 13, 2010, 05:32 AM EDT

Governor Brewer is pandering to Arizona's old people who grew up in a time when punishment was the cure-all for whatever ailed society. She knows that states can't embellish Federal law. It's political grandstanding at the expense of people who come here to sell their labor at a higher price than they can get at home. Incidentally, the use of punishment as a universal solution to social problems is making a comeback. In Tennessee, for instance, school districts would like to bring back beatings as a way to teach children discipline. I can just hear their arguments - If it works in Singapore, it'll work in Memphis.

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seanomelbourne | Jul 13, 2010, 02:22 AM EDT

We are worried about all the oppressed, you little racist Hancock. You people cannot climb out of your dark feeble minds. Articles expressing all points of view are acceptable. Are you "irishknight" so arrogant that only your point of view is correct.

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hancock | Jul 12, 2010, 11:48 PM EDT

If you Irish worried as much about your own border and your own oppressed countrymen up north, instead of arabs, jews, and mexicans you would be a lot better off.

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Starlet | Jul 12, 2010, 09:43 PM EDT

Clearly an exaggeration. Just ask yourself how popular Ms Brewer was before she "recruited" the Mexicans to help her Republican Campaign! LOL

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oldbear | Jul 12, 2010, 09:31 PM EDT

Ariszona border is porous. No thanks to our floundering Fed Govt. Illegals ok, criminals like murders et al NO. Barrack needs to send MORE troops to assist as in any country.

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cayla99 | Jul 12, 2010, 09:02 PM EDT

I have been to there, I think she is downplaying the violence. If things are so good there, why are national parks off limits to citizens because of the violence? This article is nothing but propaganda written by someone who is clueless or on happy drugs or has an agenda or a combination of the above.

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IRISHKNIGHT110 | Jul 12, 2010, 08:15 PM EDT

why is this article being printed. I don't think you would know unless you lived there. I have been there I have seen personally what is going on. it's much worse than you think.

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seanomelbourne | Jul 12, 2010, 08:11 PM EDT

Scare mongering and lies by brewer it must be an election year. I love how Limpaugh and his Fox friend twist the truth and come out smelling like roses to the GOP faithful. You can certainly fool some of the people all of the time.

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