"Despite some politicians characterizing the U.S. side of the border as a war zone, statistics released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection show that assaults against CBP agents and officers decreased by 13 percent last year.
The number of incidents including shooting, vehicle and physical assaults declined from 1,405 incidents in 2009 to 1,217 in 2010. These numbers are for both the northern and southern international borders. But 94 percent of the reported incidents occurred on the southern border.
The statistics taken from three years worth (2008-2010) of Borderstat Violence reportsby U.S. Customs and Border Protection show a reality that is contrary to much of the political rhetoric we’re hearing. Just two weeks ago, Todd Staples, the Texas Ag Commissioner, released a report written by two retired military generals proposing that U.S. border counties become “sanitary tactical zones” in a war against the “narco-terrorists.”
But looking at the government’s own statistics it appears that assaults have actually gone down against border agents, which doesn't jibe with the war zone rhetoric we've been hearing.
That doesn’t mean the border isn’t dangerous though. The number of deaths perpetrated by border agents against civilians increased by 150 percent in 2010." Read more …