He Said: She Said
Written on January 25, 2011
The Federal Government has been reporting that the Arizona border with Mexico is “more secure than ever,” but in a release issued by KPHO (channel 5) television station in Phoenix it was also reported that “authorities in Pinal County dispute” this assertion.The television station reported that “in a release sent to media outlets Wednesday, Pinal County spokesman Tim Gaffney said that “Director of Homeland Security Janet Napaolitano’s statements that crimes related to immigration and drug smuggling issues are down is just not true.”And if one simply takes a look at the numbers associated with border crime over the years it seems that the Federal “sugar coating” might in fact be just that.As an example, following are the statistics of pounds of marijuana seized over the past for years:
- 2007: 28,903 pounds
- 2008: 19,619 pounds
- 2009: 44:963 pounds
- 2010: 44,8819 pounds
As the television station’s article pointed out, this demonstrates a “dramatic increase.”And while the numbers were not released specific to violent crimes (including two officer involved shootings; the execution of a cartel member in Casa Grande, Arizona; the killing of two men in Vekol Valley; a man who was kidnapped in Phoenix and because he was unable to post the ransom demand was shot twice in Vekol Valley; or a victim who was stabbed in Casa Grande as part of a “Cartel Hit”), the following documented number of calls to the U.S. Border Patrol should underscore the overall increase in border crime:
- 2007: 142,188 calls
- 2008: 140,169 calls
- 2009: 289,270 calls
- 2010: 335,370 calls
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) also reported that “on the human smuggling side of immigration, our deputies have gone into the desert countless times to help those who were abandoned by their “Coyotes.” These cases included a six and eleven-year-old who were abandoned by “Coyotes” and forced to drink their own urine for two days in order to survive.”The takeaway from this? Perhaps it’s better to consult a local source rather than a federal source when it comes to understanding the full nuances of a local issue.
Filed in: Border Towns.