The border town of McAllen, Texas, greeted President Donald Trump last week with this theater marquee announcement: “Welcome to the 7th Safest City in America.”
Such braggadocio evokes the oft-quoted observation that there are three kinds of prevarications: “Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics.”
While McAllen’s safety claim has a patina of plausibility – it came from a 2015 list posted by SmartAsset.com – the city is immersed in a crime wave that flows daily over the border and across the Rio Grande Valley.
Of the 30 most dangerous cities in Texas, four are in McAllen’s home county of Hidalgo. The neighboring town of Donna has the third highest violent crime rate in the Lone Star State, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Up the river, between McAllen and Laredo, 30 people were killed last week during a gang battle in the Mexican town of Miguel Aleman, long infested by the Zetas drug cartel.
Much of the crime that spills over the border is drug-related. McAllen’s hometown boosters may sport rose-colored glasses, but it won’t change the fact that illegal smuggling of narcotics and humans is going on under their noses. Anyone paying the slightest attention knows that cross-border criminal syndicates are entrenched, multibillion-dollar enterprises doing a brisk business throughout the Rio Grande Valley.
Last year, FAIR reported that nearly half of all federal crimes prosecuted in the United States are committed within miles of the southern border, which keeps the federal court dockets full to overflowing in McAllen.
Manuel Cruz, director of homeland security for the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council, says the actual crime rate is higher than official statistics let on. He notes that crimes – even violent ones – are not always reported.
Perhaps these day-to-day realities account for the many signs hailing President Trump’s arrival in McAllen, last week, including those bearing the message: “Hispanics For The Wall.”
As a corridor for illegal traffic, McAllen and the rest of the Rio Grande Valley are an entry point for migrants who disperse to wreak havoc throughout the state. According to a recent report, more than 276,000 criminal aliens were booked into Texas jails between June 1, 2011 and Dec. 31, 2018. They were charged with more than 292,000 criminal offenses, including 539 homicides.
Just as disturbing, more public officials were convicted of corruption charges in South Texas than any other place in America. At least five Valley sheriffs were jailed for taking bribes from drug traffickers during the past two decades.
This is not to accuse the proud civic officials of McAllen of any such misbehavior. But pride goes before the fall, and public servants cannot secure their communities by sticking their heads in the Rio Grande Valley sand.
14 Comments
I would talk to the winter snow birds that come to the area. I have friends that go there for the winter and the word is now that you stay in your resort or 55 plus park after 6 in the evening. DO NOT GO OUT–Not safe. Arizona is getting bad also. But not as bad as Texas, YET.
Glenn we have two border crossing problems in Arizona, illegals and Californians.
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The Democrats endorse child abuse. They want to reward those who drag young children, theirs or other people’s, through hundreds of miles of desert in the middle of the winter because they know that a child makes entry far more likely , and then ICE gets the blame when those children arrive at the border in poor shape. The children are expendable because it’s all about getting on the American welfare gravy train.
CNN has signed ex Ohio governor John Kasich as a ” commentator”. Typical. They will trot this guy out as representing Republicans when he’s nothing more than a liberal open borders globalist. Trump ate his lunch in the primaries, as he did all the other amnesty supporters. Just like a lot of the Sunday shows have George Will as the “right wing” balance, when he is nothing but a neocon Trump hater. Another guy who has repeatedly, like Hillary and Obama, trashed the pro Brexit voters in Britain as too stupid to know what they were voting for. In fact, all the dire predictions of economic disaster have turned out to be wrong. Companies, just like the British public, are tired of being micro-managed by “we know better” bureaucrats in Brussels and are moving business to London.
A couple polls have shown major increases from a year ago in people who support a wall and also think the border is a “crisis”. That’s because of Trump pushing back against the media spin. Jim Acosta of CNN argued with Sarah Saunders that there was “no caravan” until it arrived at the border. The media also try and downplay these caravans by saying “it’s only eight thousand people so we can handle it”, but never mention that number of people or more cross the border every week.
You sound biased and ignorant. That’s your right.
No one “endorses child abuse”, but shallow thinkers are normally not able to discern facts from alternative facts.
Once you pull your head out of your anus and begin to think critically, you’ll begin to see that immigration isn’t about “them”. Your ancestors were one of “them” once. Try to show some respect and empathy for people that take the effort to improve their lives. It’s the same reason you are here and exercising your first amendment rights. Shame on you for demonizing the people that want to follow the lead from your ancestors. You’re nothing special, bud.
When my ancestors came here there were no welfare programs. They had to take care of their large families themselves. Talk about “ignorant”. Immigrants legal and illegal get welfare at rates higher than native born Americans. I’m sure you’re one of the people who think that’s a positive. It’s also a “fact” that the two children who died shortly after being in ICE custody were brought here by fathers whose families admitted they were coming here to work. That is not a reason to be granted asylum, nor is it a reason to drag those kids through the desert in cold weather in hopes of being admitted.
I don’t think Scrutinizer wants to hear facts as I see no response. And I’m sure your ancestors as well as mine were vetted at Ellis Island before being allowed into this country, a fact he won’t admit to also.
I knew Kasich when I lived in Columbus. As he came regularly where I worked, and constantly flirted to no avail. He was really a jerk in that and other ways, so even then, typical politician. He ‘grew up’ to be even worse. Wish he’d officially get out of the party I have always been registered in.
As for why we need The Wall, too many decades of not enforcing existing laws, idiot antiquated ideas of birthright citizenship, far too many Amnesties for far too many people.
My ancestors, from as far as I’ve traced, were here struggling before Ellis Island was dreamed of. For darn sure nothing given to them. And they came to be Americans.
How dare you hijack the name of a character developed be perhaps the greatest musician/composer in modern times. I pray a Telefunkin U47 eats your genitals while you’re paralyzed with fear over the loss of your meager mental capatity.
Then YOU take in a few families of them. Completely be responsible for all they need, all the DO. And that includes crime. We intelligent tax payers are sick of footing the bill. We have enough generations of President LB Johnson’s War on Poverty multitude to reform some work ethic into.
YOU and fellow snowflakes take care of the illegals, and when you are done,,,send them back south
Trump’s Manufactured Border Crisis is Fake Alleges the Open Border Party (OBP)
But these same village idiots call Mother Goose Fairy Tales real…LOL
I am just glad that I don’t live down there. There is no reason for a wall, so long as these occurrences happen about 2000 miles from where I live. If they get closer, then we will need a wall.
Gerald Serlin, when the flood waters start rising its too late to buy flood insurance. You may be twenty four hours driving time from our southern border.
So a NIMBY? Bet that’s Pelosi’s and Schumer’s plan, as well.
But that is what is known as ‘too damn late’. Hmm?