MCALLEN, Texas - On the same day the Department of Defense announced it was expanding a militarized zone along the southern U.S. border, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said there is no correlation between migrants crossing the Rio Grande and crime in his city.
In an interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Rodriguez said no matter whether the numbers of migrants crossing the Rio Grande was going up or down, the amount of crime in McAllen is on a steady downward path.
Rodriguez gave the interview immediately following his presentation of the McAllen 2024 Annual Crime Report. He gave the presentation at the McAllen Chamber of Commerce. The event was sponsored by McAllen International Airport and McAllen Crime Stoppers.
“This is our 17th crime reduction in the last 20 years, Rodriguez said. “And this past year, we recorded the lowest crime levels in McAllen in 38 years. That means we now report less crime than we did back in 1985.”
In his interview with the Guardian, Rodriguez said it has been one of the most difficult things to explain to people from outside the border region that there is no correlation between immigration numbers and crime on the border.
“This is a crossing point. It is not a destination point. It is not a landing point. We know where people are going. They’re not crossing two or three countries to get to McAllen, Texas. They're crossing at McAllen and going to Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth. They're going to Chicago, they're going to Boston. We know where they're going, and they're not staying here.”
It was put to the police chief that the national narrative is very different to the crime report he gave.
“For 20 years we've been seeing this narrative across the country. There have been people from all over the world in my office that come here to try to figure out, how bad is it, where are these people hanging out, and where are the dead bodies, things like that,” Chief Rodriguez said.
“Well, that's not the case. Quite the contrary to what's happening here in McAllen. All these years, crime has been going down, when people thought crime was going through the roof. And the statistics we presented today clearly reflect that.”
Rodriguez added: “So, my answer to the question about the impact of immigration as it relates to McAllen, Texas, and for that matter, across the South Texas border, from a crime standpoint, it is not effective. People are crossing these border points, but their destinations are the larger cities in the United States.”
Here is a video recording of the interview:
According to the Associated Press, the Department of Defense is expanding a militarized zone along the southern U.S. border where troops are authorized to detain people who enter without documentation for possible federal prosecution on charges of trespassing in a national defense area.
The zone is on land previously under the control of the international boundary and Water Commission. It has now been transferred to the General Services Administration and designated as a national defense area.
“The Air Force announced Monday the annexation of a serpentine 250-mile stretch of the border in Texas amid a buildup of military forces under President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the border. A Defense Department official said the Navy also has been instructed to establish a new national defense area at the border. The official didn’t provide further details,” the AP reported.
“The newly designated national defense area on land and water along the Rio Grande spans two Texas counties and runs alongside cities including Brownsville and McAllen. It will be treated as an extension of Joint Base San Antonio. The Air Force said it’s prepared to install warning signs immediately against entry to the area.”
Those two counties are Hidalgo and Cameron.
Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said:
“My current understanding is that the Secretary of Defense has ordered the establishment of a new national defense area encompassing areas of Hidalgo and Cameron County,” Cortez said.
Cortez said that to his knowledge there has been no direct communication between Hidalgo county officials and the Department of Defense regarding the establishment of the National Defense area.
“These are uncertain times, and as Hidalgo County Judge, I welcome the brave servicemen and women who have volunteered to protect our nation. But I also encourage the Department of Defense the United States Air Force leadership to visit with us local leaders as soon as possible. It's imperative that we all understand the mission and objectives so that we may work together to protect our citizens.”
