Are Tougher U.S. Immigration Policies Responsible for Mass Murder Along the Mexican Border?

This AP article seems to suggest that.

The setup (emphasis mine in the blockquotes):

”SAN FERNANDO, Mexico (AP) - When he was deported from the U.S. to Mexico for the third time, Martin Estrada Luna was a high school dropout from Washingon state with a rap sheet of petty crimes like burglary.”

“Less than two years later, Mexican authorities say, he has transformed himself into a drug baron known as El Kilo, the leader of a ruthless cell of the Zetas gang who masterminded the mass killings of more than 250 people. He is now under arrest in Mexico City”

“Mexican prosecutors have not presented any evidence publicly to support their claim that he was responsible for the deaths of 72 migrants in August and 183 people months later. The Mexican government often announces big arrests immediately after high-profile crimes, but according to its own statistics, three-quarters of those initially accused as drug traffickers or assassins are let go without charges.”

Here’s the monitor-punching part (see legal notice below):

”Whether he was a big player or not, Estrada Luna appears to have succumbed to a cross-border crime culture that is growing as hundreds of thousands of deportees with criminal backgrounds are dumped in Mexico. Under a tough-on-crime immigration crackdown, half of the 393,000 people deported from the United States between October 2009 and September 2010 were convicted criminals, with crimes that could have ranged from minor drug offenses to murder.”

Deep breaths. Take deep breaths.

Like you, I’m outraged that Estrada was dumped in Mexico where he succumbed to the crime culture. What choice did this lovable street urchin have aside from the one that we forced upon him? If only we’d kept him here, in a nurturing environment, forgiving his small sins, then those 250-odd people might still be alive today.

(Why, they were nothing more than pranks, really. Which of us haven’t done a little burglary on occasion? I swiped some Post-It Notes from work once.)

Be ashamed. Be very ashamed.

*Legal Notice: AoSHQ and its affiliates bear no responsibility for any damage done to your computer monitor as a result of having read this article. This includes actions such as putting your fist through it and/or hurling heavy objects at it.*

posted by Genghis at 10:06 AM

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