The U.S.-Mexico Border: Much Safer Than You Think

If you were to believe the rhetoric of Arizona Governor Brewer and shows like Border Wars, you might come away thinking that the U.S.-Mexico border is festering with dangerous coyotes and violent drug lords, patrolled by cops dodging bullets from the inside of armored cars.

Actually, as the AP puts it, the border is "one of the safest parts of America, and it's getting safer." Even as Obama agrees to send up to 1,200 National Guard troops to the border, compared to being a beat cop in most cities, being a Border Patrol agent is a much safer gig.

It's true that 3% of Border Patrol agents and officers were assaulted last year....mostly by people throwing rocks. By contrast, though, that figure was 11% for police officers and sheriff's deputies — who usually face guns or knives. So if you're a cop choosing an assignment, you might want to go straight to the border.

As U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Lloyd Easterling says, "The border is safer now than it's ever been."

So what accounts for the seige-like mentality of states like Arizona, which has lately empowered its police officers to check the paperwork of any "suspicious-looking" pedestrians? AZ Gov. Brewer, for one, describes her state as "out here on the battlefield getting the impact of all this illegal immigration, and all the crime that comes with it."

Forget about the fact that violent crimes in southwest border states are among the country's lowest per capita, and have dropped by over 30% in the past two decades. Or the fact that among America's big cities, the four with the lowest rates of violent crime are all in border states: San Diego, Phoenix, El Paso and Austin. Or the recent news that the presence of immigrants actually tends to make communities safer.

Arizona appears to be determined to play the victim, no matter the relevant details — which is of course to say, the facts.

Photo Credit: jim.greenhill