Immigration has long been contentious in the U.S. with debates revolving around its perceived link to crime. Recent political shifts have amplified these discussions, fueling public opinion through policies and rhetoric. Isolated incidents of violent crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, as well as outright disinformation, are spotlighted to justify harsh deportation policies. This selective attention distorts views of immigrant communities and ignores systemic factors, such as poverty or lack of access to resources that impact them.
This media brief provides expert quotes and data discussing immigrant residents, both documented and undocumented, in the context of their impact on crime rates.
Immigrants do not increase crime rates.
Research demonstrates that cities with higher immigrant populations tend to have lower crime rates. This is because immigrants create strong social networks and community cohesion, diminishing the likelihood of crime.
“Typically, communities, cities, and counties with more immigrants have less homicide and violence than places with fewer newcomers,” said Ramiro Martinez of Northeastern University.
Martinez also writes, “Unlike their urban counterparts in extremely disadvantaged communities, Latinos have fewer families headed by single parents or even less family disruption than do similarly situated racial/ethnic minority groups. Furthermore, Latino families, including immigrant families with multiple generations residing under the same roof, typically have more members of the extended family in the household than do other racial/ethnic groups. An aunt, uncle, grandparent, or other adult member is usually nearby. This suggests not only that an adult family member is present, but also that an element of stability is added to households that are poor but working.”
Undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes.
Bianca Bersani studied the offending histories of undocumented immigrant youth versus documented and native-born youth. She reported that undocumented young people were less likely to engage in crime leading up to and following their initial arrests. In addition, studies by Anthony Peguero on violent crime in schools reveal that undocumented immigrants have lower crime rates than native-born citizens. Fear of deportation is a deterrent, as undocumented individuals are less likely to engage in criminal activity that draws attention from law enforcement.
Peguero writes, “As our findings indicate with a higher proportion of immigrant students, there is a less violent crime at school. However, as scholars have noted, public perceptions of immigrants, particularly undocumented immigrants, is one of criminality and immigrants as a criminal threat. These false notions influence criminal stereotypes of immigrants that can possibly affect immigrant students and their experiences with school punishment.”
The presence of immigrants in a community may reduce crime.
Using data from almost 9,000 neighborhoods across 87 cities, Christopher J. Lyons, María B. Vélez, and Wayne A. Santoro found that, on average, neighborhoods with more immigrants have less crime. Moreover, they show that neighborhoods benefit more in terms of reduced violence from immigration when they are in cities receptive to immigrants. Such “open” cities have increased levels of minority representation in elected offices and law enforcement, a sanctuary policy in place, and a sizable proportion of Democratic voters. This finding suggests that cities that are more closed and have more punitive policies towards immigrants may decrease the potential benefits of immigration for neighborhood safety. This illustrates why adopting inclusive immigration policies supports crime reduction.
Vélez writes, “Our findings suggest that the protective association between immigrant concentration and neighborhood violence is strengthened in cities that are more open to immigrants. Contrary to public opinion and political rhetoric, our research joins a chorus of others in suggesting that immigrants can make us safer… We subscribe to the call for evidence-based immigration policies rather than policies and social climates based on fear and sometimes unfounded assumptions of immigrant criminality.”
Sanctuary Policies and Crime
Daniel Martinez used 30 years of data from 107 U.S. cities to examine associations between sanctuary policies and the concentration of unauthorized Mexican immigrants with rates of homicide and robbery. Where sanctuary policies were adopted, fewer robberies occurred. In addition, an increase in the immigrant population showed lower homicide rates. For example, critics were concerned that 2017 legislation designating California as an official sanctuary state might increase crime rates. Charis Kubrin used state-level property and violent crime rates between 1970 and 2018, compared them to a synthetic control group (as if the law had never existed), and found the policy to have little to no impact on crime.
Sociologists Available to discuss Latin American Immigration and Crime
The following sociologists are available to discuss this topic with the media. To arrange an interview, please contact Mary Spiro, ASA Director of Communications and External Affairs, at mspiro@asanet.org.
- Ramiro Martinez, Jr. – Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Northeastern University, Boston
- Anthony A. Peguero – Foundation Professor, Sociology and Criminology at The T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University
- María B. Vélez – Associate Professor of Criminology and Social Justice at the University of Maryland College Park
Additional Reading
Ousey, G.C. and Kubrin, C.E., 2018. Immigration and crime: Assessing a contentious issue. Annual Review of Criminology, 1(1), pp.63-84.
Ramiro Martinez, Jr. and Keller Sheppard. 2019. “Were Latino Communities Safer Than Others? Some Surprising Findings from San Antonio.” UCLA Law Review October, Vol. 66, no.6. Published in 2020.
Ramiro Martinez, Jr. and Jacob I. Stowell. 2012. “Extending Immigration and Crime Studies: National Implications and Local Settings.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Volume 641 (1), 174 – 192.
Ramiro Martinez, Jr., Jacob Stowell and Matthew T. Lee. 2010. “Immigration and crime in an era of transformation: A Longitudinal analysis of homicides in San Diego neighborhoods, 1980-2000.” Criminology, 48,3: 797-829.
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