VIDEO: Conservatives Repeat False Claim That Phoenix Is Kidnapping Capital Of The World
More wingnut lies over immigration. Please see Stanley Sea’s page here about Dana Milbank’s comprehensive debunking of wingnut fearmongering about crime by illegal immigrants as well:
Politifact recently looked into the “kidnapping capital” claim, given its recent popularity amongst proponents of SB-1070. On their truth-o-meter, the “fact” is classified as “false.” Politifact explains that ABC News originally reported on Feb. 11, 2009 that “Phoenix, Arizona, has become the kidnapping capital of America, with more incidents than any other city in the world outside of Mexico City and over 370 cases last year alone.” The majority of victims were reported as being “either illegal aliens or connected to the drug trade.” However, Politifact found a big “hitch”: neither ABC News nor anyone else who has repeated the claim has indicated how the kidnapping ranking was reached. And though the number of kidnappings that have occurred in Phoenix since 2008 have been specified, no one has said how many kidnappings were reported in other cities. Neither the FBI nor the U.S. National Central Bureau of Interpol could confirm the claim.
So, who was pushing this on Fox News? Huckabee:
former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) defended SB-1070, telling On the Record host Greta Van Susteren that Arizona was perfectly justified in passing the draconian immigration law partly because the state is the “number one kidnapping capital in the world.” Huckabee isn’t the first person to echo the baseless claim — it is a regular talking point of Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ). Following in the steps of conservative fear mongerers, Huckabee proceeded to portray Arizona as a place where violence is out of control.
TP has more and a video roundup.