It’s about violence and people getting killed.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent was fatally shot Tuesday while patrolling near the Mexico border in Arizona, according to Department of Homeland Security officials.
The agent was shot and killed while patrolling near Naco, Ariz., about 1:50 a.m. MDT, according to a statement sent to the Los Angeles Times by Tucson Border Patrol spokesman Victor Brabble.
Another agent was wounded in the shooting and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the statement. The Associated Press has reported he was shot in the buttocks and ankle.
As someone who’s spent his entire life living in the two states most affected by border problems (AZ & CA), it is frustrating when immigration debates revolve around heart string tugging stories of those trying to flee the nightmarish poverty of Mexico.
Drug related violence has been the real problem (especially in Arizona) for decades now, and not just on the border. It travels as well as those plucky workers we’re always hearing about. (I covered some of the DoJ stats on this here last year.)
The immigration debate really hasn’t ever been a debate because those in favor of stricter laws let the conversation stay away from the ugly truths. As a result, those who finally get fed up and pass very necessary laws like SB1070 are demonized and public opinion is based on the least objectionable part of the story.
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