Rep. Cuellar: Texas cities on the Mexican border have less crime

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Texas cities on the Mexican border like Laredo and Brownsville have lower homicide rates than Houston and Dallas, Rep. Henry Cuellar said.

The Democratic congressman, who represents the Laredo area, pointed to the latest FBI statistics. In a statement Monday he said the FBI report shows that border cities also have lower rates of violent crimes like robbery and assault.

"Many people characterize the southern border as being unsafe but today's numbers paint a very different picture," Cuellar said. "These statistics clearly show that some of the safest cities in the United States are on the U.S.-Mexico border. The murder rate is actually higher in Washington, D.C. where I work than in my hometown of Laredo, Texas or other cities on the border like McAllen, Texas. These statistics should help to dispel some of the misinformation about the border region that hurts our local economy and makes it harder to hire doctors and encourage investment."

Dallas, Houston and Washington have homicide rates six times as high as those in McAllen and Laredo, Cuellar said. The FBI reported that in 2013 Houston had 214 homicides and Dallas 143, while Laredo had three and McAllen two.

Politicians calling for more security on the Mexican border, including Texas Gov. Rick Perry, have stated that undocumented immigrants increase crime rates.