Fact versus fiction: Statistics refute claims by Arizona politicians regarding SB 1070

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

KGUN 9 "On Your Side" reports what this blog has been telling you for weeks. Statistics refute claims by Arizona politicians:

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) – Tension and rhetoric about Arizona's new immigration law is at an all-time high, with SB 1070 set to take effect in about two weeks, barring any court injunctions.

Arizona politicians have been making a lot of claims in the illegal immigration debate, citing border violence as one of the main reasons why more attention and resources should be devoted to the state.

9 On Your Side decided to check the statements that are sounding off alarms to see which ones actually ring true.

While at the Governor's Conference for the Arizona tourism industry, Governor Jan Brewer (R-Ariz.) echoed a statement she made that has been generating much media coverage and piqued public interest: "Law enforcement have found bodies in the desert either buried or beheaded."

9OYS checked with medical examiners from several counties near the border, and none have seen a beheading.

Brewer has also received a lot of questioning and criticism for another claim she made: "The majority of the illegal trespassers that are coming into the state of Arizona are under the direction and control of organized drug cartels and they are bringing drugs in." On a separate occasion, she said, "The majority of people coming through Arizona trespassing are now drug mules."

9OYS called a number of different law enforcement officials to get their take on the Governor's assertion.

Pinal Sheriff Paul Babeu told 9OYS that he agrees with Brewer, that she has been taking a lot of heat for stating the facts.

"Often times they are either forced their way into the U.S. through a forty [or] sixty pound backpack of marijuana on their back and that's their ticket in. So a lot of people are co-opted in drug smuggling," Babeu said. "Not that those who come here illegally want to be a part of that but by and large they are."

Many residents living near the border have told 9OYS that more illegal immigrants who cross the border now are smuggling drugs.

"The ones that used to come across to look for a better life, they weren't packing all these backpacks that you see now," Hereford resident Harold Hubbard said. "Now the cartel gets them on the Mexican side and makes them carry the backpacks"

But many officials say it's nearly impossible to determine exactly how many illegal immigrants are carrying drugs. The lack of reliable data is further complicated by the fact that federal and local law enforcement agencies target criminal offenders, and often escort illegal border crossers out of the country without gathering information related to the offense.

Some believe statistics from Border Patrol's Tucson sector alone refutes Brewer's claim. Agents apprehended more than 170,000 immigrants since October, but prosecutors filed only 1,000 drug cases.

Several politicians have also made general statements about an increase in border violence. In a recent letter to the President, Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) wrote: "As you know, violence near the U.S.-Mexico border continues to increase at an alarming rate. We believe this violence represents a serious threat to the national security of the United States as well as a serious threat to the U.S. citizens that live along the 1,969 mile-long border."

However, statistics from the FBI and Arizona law enforcement agencies repudiate Giffords' claim: Crime rates in Douglas, Nogales and other border towns have stayed relatively flat for the last decade. In fact, FBI statistics show violent crime rates in the border states are lower than they were a decade ago. A spokesperson from 9OYS even told Nogales Police that city is as safe as it has ever been.

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In a recent interview on a Sunday show, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) repeated a claim that has been reported by a number of different media outlets: "Why is it that Phoenix, Arizona is the number two kidnapping capital of the world? Does that mean our border is safe? Of course not."

Sgt. Tommy Thompson of the Phoenix Police Department told 9OYS kidnappings in the city have actually decreased by 30 percent in the last two years. ABC News filed the original report with this claim back in February 2009 when they were embedded with the Phoenix Police, but Thompson said they did not provide any information and statistics to ABC News to lend credence to this claim.

"That is a title given to us by the news media themselves after ABC News had done a documentary here on issues in Phoenix, Arizona," Thompson said. "The question I continue to ask myself is: Do people keep stats or are they willing to come forward with the information that they have?"

Thompson says the claim that Phoenix has the second-highest frequency of kidnapping cases worldwide is problematic, partly because cities and worldwide do not always compile (accurate) statistics. Furthermore, Thompon said, law enforcement agencies in America may hesitate to report kidnapping statistics for fear of scaring people, or affecting tourism.

The video replay of this news segment can be viewed on the KGUN 9 web site. It will not load properly here.