Cuellar: Southern border towns are safer than Houston, Washington

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) is poo-pooing the concept that cities along the U.S.-Mexico border are dangerous, pointing out that Houston and Washington have far more violent crime.

The congressman called Republican claims the border is more dangerous than other areas is simply not true.

“President Trump aligns himself with this notion by threatening to declare a national emergency as a means to direct resources to build a wall at the southern border,” Cuellar said in a statement. “Unlike this false narrative, data shows that the U.S.-Mexico border is in fact home to some of the safest communities in the nation.”

Specifically, he cited Washington, DC; Chicago; and Houston as all being more dangerous than several border towns.

“Portraying the southwest border as unsafe only serves to systematically hamper our region’s economic and community development,” Cuellar continued. “There is no national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border— the data is proof that the area is safe and open for business. Do we need more border security? Yes, but it has to be common-sense border security that does not include a 14th century solution called the wall.”