Truth About Illegal Immigration Controversy

By Bill O'Reilly

Last week, Congressman Trent Franks from Arizona made a stunning remark to Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum:

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REP. TRENT FRANKS, R-ARIZ.: The reality is that we still arrest almost 1,000 people coming across the border illegally every day in Arizona. About half of all of the violent crime in Maricopa County is committed by illegal immigrants, and we're having a pretty serious challenge every day.

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Maricopa County is the Phoenix area, and if indeed half of the violent felonies there are committed by illegals, that is a catastrophe.

So "The Factor" looked into the situation, and here's what we found out:

Right now, Maricopa County is holding about 1,100 illegal aliens charged with committing violent crimes. That is murder, manslaughter, rape, those kinds of things. The suspected felons are being held until ICE can pick them up. Another 300 are being held in Maricopa on lesser charges.

But it's not even close. If the violent illegal aliens comprise about 15 percent of the total prison population in the county, they couldn't possibly commit 50 percent of the violent crime.

"Talking Points" does not mean to diminish the problem in Arizona. Obviously 1,100 illegal aliens accused of committing violent felonies is a huge number. No county in the United States should have to put up with it. It's disgraceful. The federal government should be embarrassed. But the federal government is not embarrassed. It is suing Arizona for trying to protect itself, an incredibly absurd situation.

But the overall point here is that the truth must be told in the illegal immigration debate. Overall, crime has dropped in many border counties because the recession has inhibited some illegal immigration. Fewer available jobs, fewer illegal crossings.

However, the narcotics traffic is booming. And as we see in Maricopa County, there are plenty of bad guys crossing the border doing terrible things to Americans. Once again, the federal government does not seem to be overly concerned with that.

President Obama has made a political calculation. In the first five months of this year, his support among Hispanic-Americans dropped 12 points, according to Gallup. But since he announced the lawsuit against Arizona, his popularity has risen three points among Hispanics. So you can see where the lawsuit might be coming from.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the president is putting his political future in the hands of a minority coalition he thinks he can mobilize. According to the polls, the majority of white voters feel the president is not doing a good job, but more than 90 percent of African-Americans continue to support him, along with a majority of Hispanic voters.

This is not a healthy situation. The president of the United States should not be a victim or a beneficiary of racial politics. Or am I wrong?

And that's "The Memo."

Pinheads & Patriots

Warren Buffett, a guy who makes a lot of money investing out of Nebraska, is donating almost $2 billion this year, most of it going to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which helps people fight disease all over the world. $2 billion, that's a big number, so Mr. Buffett is a patriot.

Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots"!

On the pinhead front, you know nature is an amazing thing. You get outside, you just don't know what you're going to see or how you will react to it.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow. That's a full rainbow, all the way. Double rainbow. Oh my God. Whoa! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Woo! It's so bright, oh my God. It's so bright and vivid. It's so beautiful.

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Far out, man. Is he a pinhead or a patriot? You make the call.