Border Residents Feel Safe. Only Concerned About Graffiti and Dogs

Border Network for Human Rights, a group who claims to be a human rights activist group has commissioned a poll conducted by the Reuel Group that claims that 86.5% of border residents said they feel safe walking or driving in their neighborhood during their regular daily activities. Almost 70% said they felt their border neighborhood was as safe as most U.S. neighborhoods and 67% said they felt safe living in their border community.

Fernando García, Executive Director for BNHR,  said "politicians creating border policies need to talk to the people who actually live at the border instead of listening to pundits and opportunistic politicians set to score political points by fanning the perception that the border is out of control,”

Who answered the poll questions? Members of BNHR? This poll doesn't pass the smell test.

These numbers and statements were released in attempt to change legislation that will send more Border Patrol agents to the southern border. They decided to get Richard Wiles, Sheriff of El Paso County, to help their cause. Yet his stance on the level of safety on the border is much different than the one he takes when talking to commissioners court over budget cuts.

"In law enforcement, there are two things we look at. One is the crime rate and the other is the fear of crime. Because it doesn’t help to have a low crime rate, which we do, if people are afraid of going outside,” said El Paso Sheriff Richard Wiles. “What we see in our community is that people are concerned with graffiti and stray dogs. All the issues of urban areas. Extreme violence is just not happening here and we need to revisit how resources are expanded on the border. That’s a message to send the administration.”

You can find the entire article that was in a message that has been sent out by BNHR on Facebook. 

First of all, if all we have to worry about is graffiti and stray dogs why can't Richard Wiles cut $3.8 million from his $80 million budget? Its typical Wiles double talk. He did it as the Chief of Police, he did it as he ran for Sheriff and he is doing it again now when talking about border security and budget cuts.

The report claims that border residents feel safe and Fernando Garcia states that politicians should talk to those who live on the border. I am not a politician but let me ask you guys who live in a border city a few questions. Do you really feel safe? How many of you feel so safe in the border area that you go over to Juarez? How many of you feel so safe that when you see an expensive SUV with Chihuahua plates you don't even think twice about your safety? How many of you feel so safe that you don't have look over your shoulder when you drive down I-10 by UTEP considering that Juarez is literally only a few feet away from you at that point?

I was driving to the radio station a couple weeks ago and saw a police stand off with three Federal Police vehicles and at least ten officers pointing their high power rifles at a house just across the border. I was going to pull over and film the stand off but then remembered the stray bullets that hit City Hall and decided my life was more important.

Border security is intended to increase our safety on the border yet bleeding heart liberal groups like BNHR always find a way to distort the truth and make it about themselves. They should realize what the name of their group is and represent what is best for all humans and not use it just for tax purposes. They should be called BNCHR; Border Network for Certain Human's Rights