I've lived in Arizona for over 40 years and you need to know other parts of the story story instead of swallowing what some Washington based, democrat sponsored journalists tell you to believe.
I'm not a proponent of privately run prisons and the guys who are trying to use the immigration problem to make a fast buck are definitely slime. But to point out what these creeps are doing should not be a distraction from a genuine problem. Activists insist that people have a right to walk across our borders and then demand free public services: healthcare, food stamps & education.
I'm familiar enough with npr and huffpo to know that they are fast to blame the American public, white people and anyone who has a problem with tens of thousands of illegal immigrants bypassing the laws to keep their country safe. I do not understand the constant demonizing of anyone who is the least bit concerned about the non stop flood of people into this country.
Construction, landscape and restaurant workers are often pushed out of their already low paying jobs because someone will do it for half the price and off the books.
Add to that, the southern part of Arizona is unsafe due to the massive wave of drug traffickers. Organpipe Nat'l Monument is now a dangerous place for tourists. What has our fearless government done to protect its citizens? Put up a Warning Sign! Woooooo! US citizens are being driven out of their own land and the fed is OK with that!
The trash these people leave behind is absolutely horrendous!
Fine, Sure, Yes. A majority of my Mexican neighbors are decent hard working average citizens. The ones who feel that it's OK to walk into another country and completely ignore its culture and trash everything around them - I have a problem with them. People STILL risk their lives to come to this country but when in Rome, do as the Romans! Have some respect.
The soutwestern US does not have an Immigration problem. It has an Illegal Immigration problem.