U.S.: Kidnappings high along Mexico border

Something that has been grossly under-publicized while the mainstream American media busy themselves with selling us with the "benefits" of the presence of over 12,000,000 illegal aliens with unknown backgrounds in our back yards is the massive amount of crime that is spilling over the border with these migrants. As has been common in places like Colombia, Mexican gangs are also in the business of kidnappings for ransom. Its been an ongoing problem for Americans visiting Mexico, especially its border towns. Now, these kidnapping gangs are crossing over onto American territory, kidnapping people, and returning to Mexico to make ransom demands and threats of executing the victim if enough money is not paid. Mexico's small efforts to curtail what their own officials call "out of control" crime are weak at best. All too often, Mexican officials (even at the federal level) and police and military responsible for combating these cartels are on the payroll of the cartels themselves. Gun battles between regular and corrupt police have happened more than once, especially in border towns. Assassinations are also common.

With a porous border and a neighbor unable or unwilling to control its epidemic violence, it becomes apparent that only the greedy or suicidal would advocate opening the border and legalizing millions of illegal aliens with backgrounds we have no idea of. Mexico is facing both out-of-control violent crime and growing social unrest against a grossly inept and corrupt government which prefers to use the United States as a release valve for its internal instabilities. Worse, Washington is not only generally turning a blind eye to this problem, but also actively participating in encouraging it.

A recent CNN news item regarding kidnappings for ransom by Mexican gangs in the United States: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r46qvK3ZMHk

Link to a 2005 United States Government Accountability Office study of illegal aliens and crime: http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-05-646R