July 27, 2007
From certain cable news and radio shows, blogs, and even from some speeches on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, one might be led to presume that a border community like El Paso-Juárez is a dangerous and crime-ridden place. The recent debate over comprehensive immigration reform exposed these narrow-minded stereotypes, and it is sad and frustrating to me that, thanks to this heightened rhetoric, people might fear communities like ours. This fear is unjustified. Of course, crime exists, but, as the largest international twin city on the U.S-Mexico border, with a large immigrant population – El Paso is a safe place to call home.
I have spent the majority of my life living in the U.S.-Mexico border region. For over 26 years, I served in the U.S. Border Patrol and dedicated my career to securing the border. Many of the initiatives I implemented are still in use today. From my experience, I am troubled that certain segments of the American public have come to believe that immigrants are a real threat to their neighborhoods.
In a national survey recently cited by the New York Times, 73 percent of Americans said they believe that immigrants are either “somewhat” or “very” likely to increase crime. Cities such as Dallas and Virginia’s Prince William and Loudon counties have passed measures to deny basic services to undocumented immigrants. Other proposed measures would authorize police to check the residency status of anyone who breaks the law, no matter how minor the infraction.
While these ideas may sound reasonable to some, these communities should give a second thought to the ramifications of such policies. Police should focus on crime, not immigration enforcement. People who advocate these measures would likely balk at the idea of Border Patrol agents taking time away from border enforcement to hand someone a parking ticket. Why should the reverse be accepted as a reasonable solution to curb illegal immigration?
For those of us who actually reside on the “broken border,” the notion that undocumented immigrants are responsible for spikes in crime is inconsistent with the reality on the ground. El Paso is consistently rated among the safest cities in the United States, despite the fact that we are the largest border community in the United States — on the frontline of the illegal immigration problem. Much of the credit for this distinction goes to the men and women of law enforcement. However, it also discredits the myth that undocumented immigrants are more dangerous than the average person.
Anti-immigrant policies like those in Dallas, Prince William and Loudon are ineffective, and would only serve to intimidate immigrants from reporting crime to police, for fear of deportation. The fact that our city is among the safest in the nation speaks volumes to the quality of local law enforcement and to the vigilance of our community.
People on both sides of the debate have valid concerns over how best to reform our immigration system. Inflated political rhetoric, however, is counterproductive. While concerns over illegal immigration’s impact on hospitals, schools and other community services are warranted, these actions only undermine the efforts of policymakers, on both sides of the aisle, who seek a resolution to this critical issue.
U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes is the Democratic Congressman from the 16th Congressional District of Texas. He is chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.