In 2009 my husband and I visited Arizona on three different occasions; Robert”s new employer originally wanted him to relocate so we looked at property all over the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. We had enjoyed vacationing in Arizona over the years and were very interested in relocating there. In the mornings I would drop Robert off at his office and head to the dog park to give Sarah some exercise. I soon found it didn”t matter if you were at the dog park or at dinner, the violence from the southern border was the main topic of conversation. And folks were fed up and they had reason to be.
As newcomers we really didn”t have much idea what was going on, but it was impossible to miss the sirens, helicopters and police cars that permeated the city all night long. It was clear Phoenix was no longer the sleepy little town it had been when I had first visited in 1979. However, what was truly amazing is that Phoenix has become the kidnapping capital of the United States. I found that hard to believe until I watched the local news and saw the cops helping battered and bloody illegals exit a Phoenix home where gang members had been holding and torturing them in an attempt to force money from their relatives in Mexico. The newscaster said the coyote they hired had delivered them to the gang instead of dropping them off in downtown Mesa.
Estimates are that at least 1,000 people a day enter the country illegally through Arizona and that a large percentage of these folks are criminals, many are members of Mexican drug cartels. These new kind of illegals are not here to find a better life, they are here to sell drugs and make money; they are here to spread the drug war that has decimated Mexico to the United States. Arizona doesn”t have a chance against this onslaught; the state is overwhelmed and outgunned. Just last Friday a deputy was shot by an illegal drug smuggler with an AK-47. People coming here to look for jobs do not carry AK-47s. Arizona has both the problem of criminal illegals and non-criminal illegals who just want work. It can”t handle either group because, like California, the state is broke.
When Janet Napolitano had Governor Brewer”s job she asked President Bush repeatedly to enforce the federal immigration laws; she even sent him a bill for the extra law enforcement hours Arizonians had to spend to police the border. Governor Brewer sent that same bill for services back to Napolitano last year. She is still waiting for an answer. The state of Arizona has to do something if it is to survive; San Diego has the same population as Phoenix, but with 60 percent less crime. Where would you pick to retire?
The day that two gangs drove down the freeway shooting at each other while commuters drove into each other trying to get out of their way was when Robert and I decided Arizona would not work for us. Eventually, Robert”s employer agreed he could work from home. Our worries were over, but what would you do if you owned property in Phoenix or Tucson? Our friend Merilee, who retired to Tucson four years ago, has already sold her condo and moved back to California.
I know one thing, the federal government is not going to help at all, and neither political party wants to offend current/prospective Hispanic voters, so the problem will continue to fester. Meanwhile, the state of Arizona is in a fight for its life and Governor Brewer should be commended for taking a stand. She is one very courageous politician. However, this law seems to be making lots of folks angry. Perhaps Arizona should adopt Mexican immigration law. Crossing into Mexico illegally is a felony and punishable by two years in jail. Would that law make anyone feel better?
Mary Becker is a former San Francisco business owner who now lives in Lake County. Contact her at mbnorthernlights@gmail.com.
