Freshman Rep. Duncan Hunter: There Is More Violence In Tijuana Than In ‘Iraq And Afghanistan’
Freshman Rep. Duncan Hunter: There Is More Violence In Tijuana Than In ‘Iraq And Afghanistan’
Freshman Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (R-CA), son of former GOP presidential candidate Duncan Hunter, recently was elected to Congress after campaigning on a staunch anti-immigration platform.
During an interview with MSNBC’s Luke Russert today, Hunter defended his campaign pledge to end citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants, arguing immigration increases domestic crime. As his evidence, Hunter made the outlandish and grossly inaccurate claim that Tijuana, Mexico has more crime than “Iraq and Afghanistan”:
HUNTER: In San Diego, we face a lot of crime. … There’s been more murders in Tijuana, Mexico than there have been in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s more dangerous to go to Mexico from San Diego than it is to fly over and stroll around a Baghdad market.
Continuing his tirade against immigration, Hunter claimed undocumented immigration “drives wages down, hurts hospitals, hurts education here in San Diego, and it’s doing this throughout the entire country.” Watch it:
Hunter is unfortunately correct that violence in Mexico has ballooned in recent years, in part due to the ongoing drug wars. At least 4,000 have died this year in drug-related violence, according to the AP. Tijuana has also seen a surge in violence.
But to claim that there are more murders in the city of Tijuana than there are in “Iraq and Afghanistan” is absurd. In Tijuana, “at least 200 people have been killed in drug violence this year,” the Washington Post reported in June. But in the month of July 2008 alone, there were approximately 500 civilian fatalities in Iraq. There have been roughly 700 deaths this year in Afghanistan.
Hunter also claimed that strolling around in Baghdad is less “dangerous” than in Tijuana — the same week that Baghdad witnessed a devastating suicide attack, a rocket fired into the Green Zone, and a bomb attack on an NPR journalist’s car.
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There’s a lot of irony in a no talent legacy bid representative being interviewed by a no talent legacy bid journalist.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:42 pmFear! Scare! Warning! Tijuana Alert!! Chicken Littles Elect Me!
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:45 pm12 hours ago and just now my computer said I got 12 viruses from this site. It said they were “Actns/Swif T”.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:45 pmWho’s Luke russert….is that tim’s boy? Is he as biased as his daddy….aparently so. Why are we still hearing from the losers in daily talk shows?
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:45 pmGuess you’ll have to pick your own tomatoes and clean your own pool, Duncan.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:45 pmDuncan Hunter, Jr. is one of the better arguments for forced sterilization. Can you imagine what it must have been like to have grown up in this guy’s house? Hate, just like the desire for war, is a learned process, and I guess he was tutored pretty well by his crazy dad. I heard recently about a book called, “Evil Genes.” I think I’ll read it asap.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:47 pmUnfortunately the stupid doesn’t skip a generation.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:47 pmKeith Says:
12 hours ago and just now my computer said I got 12 viruses from this site. It said they were “Actns/Swif T”.
I have no doubt this site in being monitored by the NSA. If you use Microsoft as your operating system, I would suggest you switch to Ubuntu (Linux).
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:50 pmA chip off the old block. East County San Diego should be proud.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:50 pmI use the Flashblocker, you can get it from Mozilla.org the maker of Firefox [Wont work with IE]
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:50 pmDuncan Junior is about as well informed on the issues as Sarah Palin — and he’s just as likely to allow truth and fact to influence what he says.
He’ll fit right in with the GOP caucus.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:51 pmWell, then. We should invade Tijuana and make it as safe as Iraq is!!!
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:52 pmOMG. He is such an embarrassment to California.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:54 pmSee, those Afghanis weren’t “murdered” just killed.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:55 pmWhy is my last comment awaiting moderation?
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:55 pmoops
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:56 pmhttp://www.hunterforcongress.com/bio/
i googled this guy to see if he might be MR. mighty aphrodite…
he could be, but no matter…
his campaign website bio has NO mention of his father… curious.
because i wonder how he could have just signed up for and been accepted to the U.S. Marine Corps’ Officer Candidate School without some pull from the old man…
curious.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:56 pmC’mon. It’s nothing more that a description of certain conditions in border cities in mexico which resemble combat zones in too many particulars….
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:57 pmrobbez_92107 Says:
A chip off the old block. East County San Diego should be proud.
Hey, I voted for a real vet, not this pampered poodle.
He was never near any danger as the son of a congressman, so he probably has little to make a comparison to.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:58 pm.
… And the markets are like, where?
.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:58 pmbecause i wonder how he could have just signed up for and been accepted to the U.S. Marine Corps’ Officer Candidate School without some pull from the old man…
Like I said, the military isn’t going to risk him becoming another McCain. Rear-echelon, all the way.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:59 pmThe filter fairy doesnt like certain words such as an*lyse
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:59 pm.
PEOPLE…
… Bad fruit, like ANY fruit, fall just as close to the tree.
Witness the fruit of the Bush. You would think people would learn, NO?
.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:59 pm.
Depends on what the slaughtered meaning of “murdered” is, NO?
.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:00 pmI wonder why this guy is such an expert on Tijuana. Does he spend a lot of time there and why?
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:01 pmAh, I can smell it now:
Dobbs/Hunter 2012
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:02 pmhence ‘final an*lysis’ gets dumped?
whof ucking gnu?
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:02 pmthis is interesting…
Duncan Hunters Keeping Donors in the Family
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/duncan_hunter/
i do remember that MA was a big duncan hunter fan..
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:03 pmThat’s not too much of an exaggeration.
Conditions in Mexican border cities are deteriorating as gangs of narco/human smugglers compete.
The “true” Free Market at work.
Headless corpses turn up every day in the deserts around Tijuana and Juarez. Gang violence, they call it: a murderous dance of intimidation and retribution to the staccato, macho beat of automatic weapons. There is an absolute epidemic of seemingly random ‘femicides’ in Juarez, preying on young women workers from the countryside who find work in maquilladoras, and are apparently stalked and slaughtered almost wholesale, 500 or more in the last decade or so, a few more every month.
The near dissolution of order in the border regions is probably more the fault of NAFTA than of any other condition. The displacement of the formerly agrarian populations to cities unable to accommodate them. (final an*lysis? Bwahahaha)
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:05 pmDumb Question: As the Iraq “War” has ripped apart the social structure of the country, wouldn’t the lack of social stability be an environment projected to lead to crime – both individual and syndicates ?
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:06 pmThe filter fairy doesnt like certain words such as an*lyse
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:59 pm
is there a faq file for other filter fairy faux pas to avoid.
i mean aside fromf uck?
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:09 pmPerhaps Duncan Hunter should wage a War Against All Brown People.
Ya think?
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:19 pmI would encourage Duncan to prove himself by strolling through Baghdad for a couple days, unaccompanied by body guards or military escort and see how it goes.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:21 pmJunior probably didn’t think Tijuana was violent at all when he needed some “company” for the night as he ordered round after round of cervezas for the mamacitas and his buds. The American dollar goes a long ways still down there.
I guess though when you’re a newbie GOP congressman, pretending you need Marines and gunships to stroll around a “lesser” city makes you look “tough” to that 16% that still eats it all up.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:22 pmWhere’s Herb Alpert when you need him?
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:27 pmI noticed that Duncan Junior gave information about the murder rate in Tijuana (inaccurate as it was), but didn’t give any information about the murder rate in San Diego. What was his point, exactly?
1. Was he trying to say that immigration is bad because of the murders on the OTHER side of the border?
2. Was he trying to say that things in Iraq and Afghanistan are just peachy because there are fewer murders there than in Tijuana?
3. Was he trying to suggest we should go to war against Mexico?
I suspect that #1 probably comes closest to what he was trying to imply — that Mexicans are bad people and we should do everything we can to keep them out of our country (except for gardeners, maids, nannies, etc. — of course).
Unfortunately, he didn’t provide any convincing evidence that it’s the criminals swarming across the border for the express purpose of having a new playground to commit crimes in. And he has failed to discredit the idea that many of the Mexicans sneaking into this country might be trying to GET AWAY from the crime in their homeland.
Of course, his choir doesn’t need corroboration of any kind. Any words to make them comfortable with their xenophobia will do just fine, whether they make sense or not.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:29 pmmisshusseinmolly
Doh-can Jr. is trying to get everyone to look away from his districts homicide rate and politicize the border, yet again, to make political points with the idiots in the East County.
It “has to be the immigrants fault” is the key GOP selling point outside of “blame the gays” now in California.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:35 pmIs he married?
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:35 pmi am taking up a collection to buy this dumb mofo a sombrero a set of maracas and a first class ticket to baghdad where he can stroll around the market…as long as he does it without a flak jacket, squadrons of military men and blackhawks flying overhead.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:39 pmJunior probably likes Mexican food, just not the people who prepare it. Either that or he owns some Taco Bell franchises and/or is a stockholder in the company.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:43 pmMaybe Freshman Hunter could spend a few nights in a dark tunnel beneath San Diego guarding us from Tijuana terrorists.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:44 pmCome to think of it, he’s been in the dark his whole life…
“I have no doubt this site in being monitored by the NSA. If you use Microsoft as your operating system, I would suggest you switch to Ubuntu (Linux).”
Man, there’s some Alex Jones levels of paranoia at work here.
Not that there aren’t figures in our government conspiring against the American people, but the NSA isn’t going to work THAT transparently, even under this idiot administration.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:45 pmDeath from a gun held by a gangster, mobster, jealous lover, thief…those are murders.
Death from a gun held by a soldier…those are casualties. And if the victim is not a soldier, then they’re civilian casualties.
Once you accept that line of non-logic, yeah, sure, Tijuana has more murders than Baghdad. Maybe.
Sometimes I believe abortion should be illegal, but only because then there’d be a fightin’ chance fewer a-holes like Duncan Hunter Junior would rise to power, because there’d be a lower percentage of people stupid enough to vote for him.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:52 pmWe need the SAVE ACT and E-verify used for every business and NOT Amnesty.
E-verify does not discriminate against RACE, Religion, SEX or physically capability only your Citizenship and your LEGAL right to be and work in United States.
If we can stop Predatory business owners from hiring then the Illegal Aliens will not Stay and return to their native Countries.
This ISSUE is not about RACE, but Governments Federal/State/LOCAL not doing their jobs, because big and small business owners want cheap workers and no labor laws to bother with. Its called GREED!
The only RACISTS are the single RACE agenda GROUPS like La RAZA, Mecha, Aztlan and ETC….Whose main goal is take our Western States back to Mexico.
Liberals and Conservatives need to take some pride in our Country and protect it from all invading nations citizens and corporate greed.
Please, NO IMMIGRANT BASHING or HATE Crimes.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:08 pmHATE only feeds the single RACE agenda groups for Open Borders and the Media.
This ISSUE is not about RACE, but Governments Federal/State/LOCAL not doing their jobs, because big and small business owners want cheap workers and no labor laws to bother with. Its called GREED!
Um, no. It’s about Tijuana. And the person most responsible is an American, not an illegal alien, and the “enforcer” for the Sinaloa cartel, who are trying to take over the Arellano-Felix territory.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:35 pmCongressman Hunter and his father, just like Bush 41 and Dubya before them prove that stupidity and ignorance are genetically inherited traits.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:38 pmHernandezUSA
Businesses hire illegal immigrants (or legal ones, but as the stereotype goes…if you think of one it has to be the other as well) because the employees they have hired at that so-called “competitive” low wage mouth off, slack off and gripe about how they should be entitled to better pay when they don’t even do the job that they’re doing that well to begin with. While many people blame illegal immigrants or can’t make the distinction between legal immigrants, if any Spanish is spoken they have to be an illegal.
The truth of the matter is either immigrant group can bust their asses for a lower wage and will never get the opportunity for advancement, but will do the menial jobs anyways. It’s management and everyone else who are the racists and I do know some Hispanics and Latinos who do have issues with illegals. So don’t go all high and mighty with this “blind” process that you think is so great. Because you yourself are blind to the other side of the coin.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:39 pmWhy does it matter?
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:41 pmIf Duncan Hunter is really concerned about violence and declining wages, here’s two suggestions: end the “war on drugs” and support unionizing the work force. How bout it, Duncan?
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:49 pmHernandezUSA: “Please, NO IMMIGRANT BASHING or HATE Crimes.”
Earth to Hernandez: three lines above this, you called La Raza a racist hate group. Maybe you should follow your own advice.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:54 pmWell since one of the gun nuts claims that an American has to defend themselves with a gun every 13 seconds, I’d say there must be a whole hell of a lot more violence right here…
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:14 pmWe don’t even need guns to be violent. A guy was stomped and killed by people trying to get a good deal on a flat screen the other day. Nobody was surprised.
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:28 pmI think there are more people in Afghanistan and Iraq individually than TJ, so in a way he’s right from a ratio perspective. He didn’t specifically say that though. TJ is fine during the day [mostly] but at night it is completely not safe. There is a lot of kidnapping going on there too.
Hernandez is right in that the corporate greed for cheap labor is at the heart of this.
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:43 pm49er is right, to a point. Guns do make it a lot easier though. For instance London has a huge knife problem.
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:43 pmHunter Jr. should be more worried about his Father’s criminal acts that the new AG Holder will be handling. Smart move by old man Hunter to drop out and put the kid out there to do the dirty work. Pink is the new jail uniform color and old man Hunter might look good in that color.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:07 pm49er
You forgot to mention that while the Wal-Mart employee was getting emergency treatment, people still went past the scene to get those great deals.
A employee doing a job dies at the feet of the herd and no one can close the store because cash suddenly trumps a life.
Illegal immigrants aren’t the problem. People who think they can’t get a great deal in a sh!t economy are. Then again, anyone who has to take the doors off the hinges at a Wal-Mart should be sent to the streets of Tijuana with a tin cup for a week or two as punishment.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:17 pmmarkusmarkus Says:
Where’s Herb Alpert when you need him?
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Retired from running A&M records the A in A&M stands for Alpert
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:25 pmdemguysareright Says:
When was the last carboming in Tijuana? Got any evidence that the ratio is higher in Tijuana? How many died in Bagdhad alone this year? In Dec of 07 ALONE there were 247 deaths
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:28 pmSince carbombing is the only method of killing, well then i guess you got me there. TJ has like 1.4 million, and Iraq and Afghanistan have almost 30 million each. For 2008 so far, an estimated 726 people have been killed in TJ. Have there been more than 10k killed in either country this year? Maybe so. Bottom line is that it’s tragic that we’re even discussing this.
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:02 pmOh, goody, a new idiot to represent me.
Sigh. I hate the Republican tards around here.
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:17 pmRight, and Baghdad is safer than Washington DC too.
Even if true what Hunter says is true, Mexico is more than just Tijuana. What an idiot.
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:46 pmdemguysareright Says:
Wow you really are clueless arent you? Murders are rarely dont randomly. Usually, when its drug killing which is what they are saying its criminals killing criminals. So when talking about safety of a city it IS relevant when to show the RANDOM violence like carbombings which kill whoever is in the area. Bagdhad is a city of about 5 million and the last figure I could find for violence THERE was 247 for a MONTH that was a GOOD month since the months before were over a thousand PER MONTH. Bottom line IF you are more willing to walk around Baghdad without gunships protecting you than you are to walk around Tijuana you are a moron. Not even a good try. IF we werent paying the Shiite and Sunni militias NOT to kill each other we would STILl be seeing about 10,000 deaths a year in Baghdad alone.
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:48 pmThe point I’m trying to make is that TJ IS NOT SAFE AT NIGHT. At all. I’m in San Diego and I know how it has gotten. If murders are rarely dont randomly, then is TJ rarely dont randomly as well. Clueless? I don’t think so.
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:02 pmHey Duncan, you want crime to go down in San Diego and Mexican border cities? Then decriminalize marijuana in the USA. DEMAND for illegal drugs KILLS PEOPLE.
While you’re it, get going on gun control and ammo sales in Texas. Now. Texas is THE Wal-Mart for AR-15 and AK-47 rifles, 5.56 and 7.62 ammo sales to Mexican drug gangs.
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:38 pmOh no those people that no one seems to have ever met that are defending themselves with firearms every 13 seconds aren’t gonna go for that.
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:45 pmThe fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree does it?
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:52 pmOr should I say the nut doesn’t fall far from the tree.
The warmonger nut fall’s close to the warmonger tree.
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:05 am