Re: May 9 news story.
This week I’m headed to Juárez and Palomas, Mexico, a trip I have been making monthly for more than six years in order to document and assist a variety of humanitarian programs there. It was alarming, therefore, to see this article ranking Mexico as the “world’s second-deadliest conflict zone.” Unfortunately it is incorrect. According to the United Nations Office on Crime and Drugs, Mexico’s murder rate is 16.4 per 100,000 population. Compare this to Honduras at 90.4, Venezuela at 53.7, Belize at 44.7, El Salvador at 41.2 and Guatemala at 39.9. The real tragedy, however, is how quick our government is to send refugees back to these brutal countries where they are sure to be killed.
Morgan Smith, Santa Fe, N.M.
The writer is a former Colorado legislator.
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