Often when talking about crimes linked to illegal immigration, I think many people assume border security advocates claim that people magically become violent when their temporary visas expire. The fact is that Mexico and many Central and South American countries are broken, their governments cannot maintain control there.
We are seeing generations of Latin Americans growing up in areas that are essentially lawless. Part of controlling our borders is not allowing those that want to import their anarchy here entry, while at the same time reaching out to the good people from those countries fleeing the third world war zones who would be glad to assimilate into a law abiding society.
From Sign on San Diego:
Organized, well-financed and violent Mexican kidnapping cells are targeting a growing number of U.S. citizens visiting communities popular with San Diegans and other California residents.
Last year, at least 26 San Diego County residents were kidnapped and held for ransom in Tijuana, Rosarito Beach or Ensenada, local FBI agents overseeing the cases said yesterday. In 2006, at least 11 county residents had been kidnapped in the three communities.
“Some of the 26 were recovered, some were hurt and some were killed,†said agent Alex Horan, who directs the FBI’s violent-crime squad in San Diego.
“It’s not a pleasant experience. Victims have reported beatings, torture and there have been rapes. . . . Handcuffs and hoods over the head are common,†he said.
[…]
The U.S. Consulate in Tijuana issued a travel advisory last week that said U.S. citizens living and traveling in Mexico should be extra vigilant.
Gunfights and other violence linked to drug cartels have increased in Baja California, and more Mexican citizens have been kidnapped lately.
While some of the groups suspected of kidnapping Americans are connected to drug trafficking, most aren’t, Horan said.
He described the kidnapping groups as sophisticated operations similar to terrorist cells, each with a boss and clear divisions of labor. Usually, one group is involved in scouting, another carries out the kidnapping, a third holds the victim and a fourth handles the ransom.
“They know who they’re going after. I think they have a list,†Horan said. “These are kidnapping cells. . . . That’s what they do. They do kidnappings all year long.â€
We must always remember that many people fleeing Mexico or other Latin American countries are justified in their desire to reach our border, and our aim should be to create a system where the good people fleeing this sort of barbarity can enter while those who are part of the chaos are denied entry. Controlling the border is just the first step.