UTB OFFICIAL SPEAKS ON VALLEY BORDER VIOLENCE

Reported by: Cristina Rendon
Last Update: 9:55 pm
CHANNEL 5 NEWS (KRGV, 2010)

BROWNSVILLE - Dr. Antonio Zavaleta, associate provost and director of the Texas Center for Border and Transnational Studies at The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, is working to provide the public with the reality of border violence.

Zavaleta has been researching border violence for the past year and recently spoke about spillover violence Monday at The University of Texas System Risk Management Conference in Galveston.

"It's not a matter of if border violence will touch us, it's a matter of when," Zavaleta said.

However, Zavaleta says there is an upside to the danger. He claimed businesses and real estate in McAllen and Brownsville are booming, which boosts our economy.

He wants people to know that border violence is real, but there are pros and cons.

Zavaleta said the people who believe border violence won't affect them are "out of touch."

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