Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon will testify before Congress next week about how border violence has impacted public safety in Phoenix.
The mayor is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. on Tuesday before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies.
Gordon’s trip to Washington comes as deadly drug violence surges in Mexico. More than 6,000 people died in drug-related violence in Mexico in 2008, more than double the number from the previous year. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Arizona’s former governor, plans to send more than 100 federal agents to the border to help combat the wave of violence.
While crime is down overall in Phoenix, Gordon said, the majority of the city’s violent crime is related to human smuggling and drug violence. That situation could become worse if the federal government doesn’t take a stronger role, he said.