State must organize to fight cross-border crime
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Bill Richardson, Commentary

April 16, 2010 - 1:48PM

The March 27th murder of Cochise County rancher Robert Krentz has renewed calls for increased efforts to secure the border and stop illegal aliens from coming into Arizona.

State Sen. Russell Pearce (R-Mesa) wants to force local police to arrest suspected illegal aliens. State Sen. Al Melvin (R-Tucson) reportedly wants a state-funded armed volunteer security force deployed on the border.

The problem of confronting and winning the war against cross-border crime will take more than politically popular legislation and tough talk that targets petty offenders and made-for-TV illegal alien roundups on the streets and down on the border.

Arizona isn’t up against a bunch of misdemeanants; the state is up against the Mexican drug cartels, “the greatest organized crime threat to the United Statesâ€