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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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90 Comments

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maloney | Sep 07, 2010, 08:52 PM EDT

Never let the truth get in the way of another obama lie!!

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maloney | Sep 07, 2010, 08:49 PM EDT

I used to live in Scottsdale AZ. I have many friends that live there still. Dana Milbank is a liar. No surprise, she works for the washington post, another liberal obama loving rag about to go under like the times. O'dowd.. you should be ashamed to perpetuate these lies. Do your homework, oh I forgot, your just another liberal hack yourself. July 2010 body found beheaded in AZ. just across boarder by local sheriff. Other bodies without heads found across southwest US, Also in TN. KY. & ILL. Now who's the liar. O'Dowd, get it right or shut up, obama lover.

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DeaconJack | Aug 08, 2010, 11:40 AM EDT

My cousin, who is a Trooper there would probably pop his top to read this piece of trash reporting. Did Milbank choose his interview questions soas to put the Gov.in a bad light???? Hmmmmmm?

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hancock | Aug 02, 2010, 12:55 PM EDT

Nancy you are a right wing bigot, how dare you say anything different than the all knowing Irish and Australian expert immigration commentators.

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NancyLou9 | Aug 02, 2010, 10:33 AM EDT

As someone who lives in Arizona less than a mile from the border, I can assure you our gracious Governor is NOT exaggerating the situation in any way, shape or form. The truth of the matter is: Of COURSE the coroners are going to say they have no be-headings related to the drug trade and illegals because no one has been caught so blame and motive can be placed. However, the be-headings ARE happening and they are done so different gangs from the south can gain control of favorable drug routes into Arizona. Currently, near Yuma, there are 2,000 acres of a National Park that had to be abandoned because of the danger to Americans (and anyone else who wishes to enjoy the beauty of the region) to go there, except people involved in the drug and illegal alien trades. How easy for Seanomelbourne to stand there, high on his self-proclaimed high horse to judge the US, a country with a history of accepting LEGAL immigrants, when his country is filled with descendants of criminals from the UK which would lead one to believe HE is the descendant of a criminal sent to Aussie land by the UK. Sean - you don't live here and you have no right to judge us for how we choose to take care of an expensive and on-going problem - one the feds don't care to address. I LIVE here, I LIVE in Arizona, I LIVE on the border, I SEE the problem, up close and personal. I SEE the fires, I SEE the dead/stolen live stock, I SEE the burned homes, I SEE the stolen cars and trucks, I SEE the accidents caused by illegals who have no insurance or driver's license, I SEE them processed and returned to Mexico - only to try it again the next day. I SEE it all, not you. Now go hit a pub and drink yourself stupid - oh, wait, you already did, and let the good people who actually SEE the problem take care of their own business. When your country is in order, THEN you MIGHT be able to tell us what to do - and we still won't listen.

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ThomasCoolberth | Jul 25, 2010, 03:23 PM EDT

Its "illegal" immigrant. We have laws that regulate immigration just like Ireland does. How about we ship the 20 million illegals to Ireland if the invasion is so benign.

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seanomelbourne | Jul 20, 2010, 08:32 PM EDT

Maybe!!!

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hancock | Jul 19, 2010, 10:46 PM EDT

You're kidding , right?

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seanomelbourne | Jul 19, 2010, 08:10 PM EDT

That's ok hancock when you have nothing of interest to say be an attack dog and yap on and on ad infinitum.

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HBDuncan | Jul 18, 2010, 11:11 AM EDT

@Starlet Gov. Brewer did not ever have a compaign. Brewer became Governor of Arizona as part of the line of succession as determined by the Arizona Constitution after the resignation of Janet Napolitano after being selected as Secretary of Homeland Security in 2009. This is a security issue which should have been addressed years ago and not a race issue. The fact is what the government is sueing bout is not racial issues. Florida, Texas, and seven other states filed a brief supporting Arizona's law aimed at cracking down on illegal migrants after the U.S. government sued to block enforcement of the law. Arizona's statute does not establish an immigration policy that would interfere with federal law. The federal government seeks to negate the pre-existing power of all the states to simply verify a persons immigration status. Eight states have joined in the brief and our in support of Arizona. Current US policies have resulted in the state being "under attack" from Mexican Drug and immigrant smuggling cartels I believe that D. Milbank has an agenda as to why she refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of Arizona and Gov. Brewer best interest, care and concern for all citizens (multicultural and legal) in the great state of Arizona. What is the agenda of the government except to take away all states rights which is unconstitutional? What is at stake next the sovereignty of America next? This is just the beginning as we crated a monster. The government is to serve the people not oppress them and instigate crisis for their progressive/socialist NWO agenda! Not on my watch!

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hancock | Jul 18, 2010, 12:57 AM EDT

The US jails illegal immigrants who commit crimes. Is that OK with you. Worry about your own country.

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seanomelbourne | Jul 18, 2010, 12:00 AM EDT

I'm Irish Hancock. By the way the U.S. jail illegal immigrants how tough is that. Maybe your not looking at the problem objectively enough.

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Ajreaper | Jul 17, 2010, 10:19 PM EDT

Immigration policies are in no way related to secure borders- 2 entirely different things as is an immigration policy that is not enforced.

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hancock | Jul 17, 2010, 02:24 AM EDT

Australia and Mexico have a much tougher immigration policy than the joke that is the US border. America takes in more legal immigrants each yr than those two countries combined. A typical lefty crybaby, I thought Australians were men.

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seanomelbourne | Jul 17, 2010, 01:53 AM EDT

Hancock I suppose you would have sent them back in their leaky boats to drown as the previous conservative government did in Australia. Or maybe gas chambers whatever fulfills your racist fancy.

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