County Judge Escobar Knocks Perry In New York Times Editorial

An editorial written by El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar was published in the New York Times website on Wednesday. In it, Escobar criticizes presidential candidate Rick Perry’s and other candidates’ claims that the border is dangerous and extensive security measures need to be taken. She says that such misrepresentations are done for political gain and actually hurt the border economically.

ACCORDING to many of the leading Republican presidential candidates, including my governor, Rick Perry, the border between Texas and Mexico is among the most dangerous in the world. All of them insist that ?securing? the border has to come before any sort of comprehensive immigration reform, but Mr. Perry has been particularly aggressive about it. ?It is not safe on that border,? he said recently, and he called President Obama a liar for suggesting otherwise. He?s even said he was open to sending American troops into Mexico to counter the violence.Those of us who actually live along the border know otherwise. El Paso, the largest city along the United States-Mexico border, is also one of the country?s safest cities and the heart of a vibrant binational community.

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