Clearly, the United States needs to deal with its illegal immigration problem. But actions should be based on facts, not hysteria. For example, the number of illegal immigrants in the United States dropped by 8 percent from 2007 to 2009, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. And contrary to claims about out-of-control crime along the southern border, crime rates in border counties are among the lowest in the entire country, according to FBI crime data. Also, not only has Arizona’s crime rate been decreasing in recent years, its violent crime rate is at its lowest level since 1983. Also contrary to claims, Phoenix is not the world’s No. 2 kidnapping capital. Most children of illegal immigrants are born to parents who have lived in the United States for years and didn’t just cross the border to “drop” a child, as some GOP lawmakers contend. And after her bumbling debate performance last week, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer finally retracted her claim that there have been beheadings in the Arizona desert.
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