(oops, lost a closing tag on the link.)

Yes, there is violence in Tucson and Phoenix that is tied to the activity of drug cartels, but, bottom line:

"While the nation's illegal-immigrant population doubled from 1994 to 2004, according to federal records, the violent-crime rate declined 35 percent.

"More recently, Arizona's violent-crime rate dropped from 512 incidents per 100,000 residents in 2005 to 447 incidents in 2008, the most recent year for which data is available."

~ Becky in Tucson