Headless Bodies and Other Immigration Tall Tales in Arizona

Immigration has been a major driver of US economic growth, but at a time of economic distress, it has emerged as a contentious issue. Recent attempts by politicians to exploit concerns over immigration by falsehood or exaggeration could have unintended consequences. Defending a new law targeting illegal immigrants, Arizona politicians claim rising violence along the state’s border shared with Mexico – headless bodies in the desert, immigrants working as drug mules and Phoenix as a global kidnapping capital. Such reports are untrue, notes Dana Milbank in an opinion essay for the Washington Post, suggesting that “the entire premise of the Arizona immigration law is a fallacy.” The reports alarm tourists, damaging a leading industry for the state. In truth, crime rates in US borderstates are at lowest levels in a decade. Exaggerating criminal activity allowed for swift passage of measures to stem immigration, and other states look to follow Arizona’s model. Punitive anti-immigration measures provide little security and add to economic woes, threatening states’ reputation as tourist destinations. – YaleGlobal