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crime attributed to illegal immigrants is why she signed the bill. Many have charged that it is a political move to get a leg up on her competition in the Arizona Republican primary for the governor’s race.
And recent reports in many major media outlets like CNN and the Associated Press show that crime rates in Arizona are actually lower than in previous years.
In an email sent out by the national organization known as Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting or “FAIR” it says that “ In reality, there is no rising crime rate in Arizona (AP, 5/10/10; CNN, 4/29/10). The same is true of Phoenix--despite the oft-repeated (and thinly sourced) description of the city as a kidnapping haven. The city of Phoenix reported that crime in 2009 was at its lowest rate in 15 years, and violent crime had dropped 18 percent from 2008. Mayor Phil Gordon told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (4/20/09) that "crime is actually down, in every category."
What's more, there is no evidence linking immigrants (documented or undocumented) to increases in crime, in Arizona or anywhere else. In fact, much of the research indicates the opposite--that immigrants commit crime at a lower rate than the population at large (Immigration Policy Center, 4/28/10).
Posted May 17, 2010
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