Another report..I know this border well. I was raised in New Mexico. I have spent most of my adult life in Arizona as the U.S. Attorney, Attorney General, and as a two-term Governor.
I have walked the border, flown it, ridden it on horseback, and worked with border communities from Brownsville to San Diego for the better part 18 years as a public official. So I speak from personal experience when I say that the Southwest Border Initiative is the most comprehensive and dedicated effort to strengthen border security that we have ever deployed.
The border, as a whole, is simply not the same as it was two years ago, or even one year ago – in terms of the manpower and resources and technology; in terms of the relationships we’ve built with our federal, state, local and tribal partners; and in terms of our strong partnership with Mexico.
A Safe, Secure Border Zone
So, what’s our goal? Our goal is to have a safe, secure border zone that is also hospitable to and fosters legal trade, travel and immigration.
Our goal recognizes that the border is not simply a line on a map. It is an entire area, extending into both countries. Moreover, a safe, secure border zone requires vigorous enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws in the interior of our country as well.
Security starts along the border by leveraging every law enforcement asset and coordinating them in a way that acknowledges that our approach in El Paso may differ from a tactic in San Diego.
Enforcement in the interior of our country must be aggressive and smart. This means going after criminals and employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, as we have, and doing so in a way consistent with our values and our priorities.
Finally, our border policy should foster legitimate trade, travel, and immigration, accommodating the movement of commerce, from which the U.S. and our Mexican allies derive trade and tourism revenue, and which drives hundreds of thousands of jobs.
In a nutshell, that’s our philosophy, that’s how we do it, and those are our goals.
This common sense approach, coupled with the tireless dedication of the thousands of men and women on the frontlines, has achieved historic decreases in illegal immigration; unprecedented increases in the seizure of drugs, weapons, and contraband; and record numbers of deportations of individuals in the U.S. illegally – both overall and in terms of criminal aliens. This approach has also led to strengthened and increased partnerships with Mexico on trade and travel and an increase in associated trade revenue.
Further into her speech..Four of the top big cities in America with the lowest rates of violent crime are in border states – San Diego, Phoenix, Austin, and right here in El Paso.
Violent crimes in Southwest border counties have dropped by more than 30 percent and are currently among the lowest in the Nation per capita. And crime rates in Nogales, Douglas, Yuma and other Arizona border towns have remained essentially flat for the past decade, even as drug-related violence has dramatically increased in Mexico.
Complete delusion.
Does she know that the El Paso city hall building is pockmarked with bullets from south of the border?