CNS - Rep. Henry Cuellar: "The Border Is Safer Than Washington, D.C.'

News Article

By Melanie Hunter

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) told C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" on Thursday that the U.S.-Mexico border is safer than the nation's capital.

"The border is safer than Washington, D.C. The murder rate here might be three to four murders per 100,000. Where you and I work in Washington, D.C., I believe it's 15.9 murders per 100,000, so it's a lot safer here than where we work in Washington, D.C." Cuellar said, speaking from Laredo, Texas.

"So they have this perception -- people that run for national office, some people that run for state office -- always paint the border as the flashpoint, and that's what they use as a punching bag, but if you look at this border, it's safe, and it certainly creates a lot of jobs for -- not only for us here, but across the nation," Cuellar added.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, there were only 105 murders and non-negligent manslaughter in Washington, D.C., at a rate of 15.9 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2014 -- the latest year of available data.

Texas, California, Arizona, and New Mexico lie on the U.S.-Mexico border.

In Texas, there were 1,184 murders at a rate of 4.4 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2014. In Arizona that same year, there were 319 murders at a rate of 4.7 per 100,000 inhabitants. In California, there were 1,699 murders at a rate of 4.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, and in New Mexico, there were 101 murders at a rate of 4.8 per 100,000 inhabitants.

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