To understand the potential political implications of a new story on the U.S.-Mexico border where an Arizona rancher was accused of murdering a man from Mexico, understand how it plays out. please.
Let’s start with the rancher.
George Alan Kelly is an old man. he is 73 years old He still raises livestock on a ranch near the U.S.-Mexico border. He lives with his wife and she needs him to help take care of him.
He lives next door to one of the most violent countries on earth. There, drug bosses and heavily armed packs of wolves roam the borderlands, trafficking people and drugs.
He lives in a time when parts of the border are in chaos. Illegal immigration is at a record high, and waves of humanity are overwhelming border towns like Yuma and El Paso.
The US federal government has done little to solve this problem.
There’s fear and guns, but everything’s blurry
He and his neighbors live near Kino Springs, about 1.5 miles north of the Mexican border and just east of Nogales. problems in their area not so acuteand his neighbor tells Tucson’s KOLD News that the passage of immigrants is fairly routine.
But Kelly sees strangers cross his property and cannot tell who they are or whether they pose a threat. A thinly veiled fictional version of his ranch life He patrols his property daily with his AK-47.
Living in a remote southwestern desert, he probably won’t get law enforcement to rush to him in an emergency.
So he has fear. and he has a gun
These are some of the hazy renderings we read about Kelly, an Arizona rancher who was incarcerated on January 30th after being charged with first-degree murder of an unarmed Mexican citizen. .
reserve judgment until further facts are known
According to the Associated Press, there are not enough facts to know if Kelly was justified in killing 48-year-old Gabriel Kuen Butimea, who was identified from his Mexican voter registration card. We know that a body has been found. Right next to Kelly’s house.
The Daily Mail reports that U.S. federal court records state that “Cuen-Butimea A history of illegal border crossings and deportations In and around Nogales, the most recent case was recorded in 2016. ”
However, there are important things we don’t know, such as Kelly’s mental state. It is not known exactly what killed them or how they collapsed. We don’t know if Kelly has a history of eccentric behavior or reckless shootouts.
When information is this thin, we should reserve judgment and get more facts.
But we shouldn’t ignore the growing outrage online about this previously underrepresented story. Arizona civil servants should dress appropriately.
This could be a gunpowder keg.
Arizona rancher murder fired SB 1070
Thirteen years ago, one such border incident involving an Arizona rancher was the catalyst for the now-infamous Senate Bill 1070, which many Latinos in the state felt like suspects. . It has become known by critics as the “Show me your papers” law.
The act was signed by Governor Jan Brewer and endorsed by then-Arizona Senators John McCain and John Kil. Polls showed broad support in both Arizona and the United States.
The law became a cultural front, pitting Arizona’s majority whites against Latinx citizens who feared their targets were painted on their backs. Ultimately, the courts watered down the law and rendered it meaningless.
At the border:Why immigrants come from many countries
Back then, the scenario was reversed.
On March 27, 2010, Arizona rancher Robert Krentz was shot dead by an intruder. The case was never solved, but investigators tracked the murder suspect to the Mexican border.
Even after some of Arizona’s best investigative reporters searched hard for answers, we still don’t know all the facts about the Krentz murders.
But Krentz became a martyr, and the now-deceased Republican Senator Russell Pierce was a Trump-like demagogue, a sharp-edged man who would have essentially turned every cop in Arizona into an immigration officer. I was pushing immigration law.
What caused this killing?we don’t know
There’s a lot we still don’t know about a new case in which Arizona rancher George Alan Kelly has been accused of shooting a man on his property.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Officer Discovers Body with a “visible gunshot wound” Nogales International reported that he was about 100 to 150 yards from Kelly’s home on January 30.
At approximately 2:40 p.m. on January 30, Border Patrol reported that a man named “Kelly” identified a “possible active shooter” in the Sagebrush Road area and “a group of people running.” I warned you that there is. The caller added, “I wasn’t sure if he was shot too.”
The sheriff’s office was then summoned to Kelly’s property at approximately 5:56 p.m. after receiving a report of a shooting. There they found the body of Quen Butimea, International reports. “No weapons were found on or near the victims.”
Ominous reaction to Daily Mail article
Santa Cruz County Deputy Mayor Gerardo Castillo told the newspaper why Kelly was arrested, saying, “An investigation first revealed that Kelly opened fire in the area.”
Investigator removed 2 assault style weapons It was obtained from Kelly’s property to determine if it was used in the shooting, the Daily Mail reported.
At a court hearing on Jan. 31, Kelly asked a judge to reduce his bond so he could help his wife, The International reported. “She’s out there by herself…she has no one to look after her livestock. Or a ranch. And I’m not going anywhere. I can’t afford a million yen.”
The Daily Mail article of February 6th already 1,700 comments Sounds on a similar theme:
- “Joe Biden and his crew are the ones who need to be brought to justice.”
- “We have not seen any crimes committed by him. Serial violators are committing crimes on his property, and state law allows defenses against trespassing, so he could be arrested or charged with murder.” I shouldn’t have done that.”
- “I feel sorry for the rancher who didn’t get the help of the sheriff in the area. He did the right thing to protect his family.”
There may be a fallout as this story unfolds
In this case, the facts accumulated so far are strange. The time that passed between his two calls to law enforcement raises many questions. When an unarmed man is shot, we must demand an explanation.
Arizona law strongly favors those who defend themselves against trespassers, but you cannot kill someone just because they trespassed on your property.
Arizona policy makers would be wise to keep an eye on this incident and its developments. They may face it in the near future and become angry voters.
Phil Boas is an editorial columnist for the Republic of Arizona.send him an e-mail phil.boas@arizonarepublic.com.
