New study confirms well-established findings that there is no connection between crime and undocumented immigration
The New York Times this morning ran as its headline, “Is there a connection between undocumented immigrants and crime?” Keep reading to learn the answer, “It’s a widely held perception, but a new analysis finds no evidence to support it.”
Halfway through the article, the reporters mention that past research shows no relationship, despite the persistently mistaken perception. Evidence of this well-established proposition appears in academic studies (in Criminology) and bipartisan think tank reports (including by the Cato Institute), from state to local levels (see analysis by Governing magazine).
What is newsworthy, the article contends, is a focus on the undocumented immigration population. As the article explains, “A lot of research has shown that there’s no causal connection between immigration and crime in the United States. But after one such study was reported on jointly by The Marshall Project and The Upshot last year, readers had one major complaint: Many argued it wasunauthorized immigrants who increase crime, not immigrants over all.” The core complaint is that data on undocumented immigrants is hard to come by. Implicitly, the complaint seems to be that the screening and vetting that occurs for legal migration cannot be assumed for undocumented immigrants.
The new study permits an analysis derived from new data that “suggest[s] that growth in illegal immigration does not lead to higher local crime rates.” The evidence shows (1) that violent crime remained flat or even decreased in most metro areas, independent of levels on undocumented immigration, (2) property crime was unaffected or fell similarly, (3) Dividing violent and property crime into their components of aggravated assault, robbery, murder, burglary and larceny again fails to show a strong connection to changing undocumented populations. More research is underway about the potential effects of undocumented immigration on crime. Robert Adelman, a professor at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, whose group’s research The Marshall Project and The Upshot have previously documented, is leading a team to expand on the Governing analysis. Early results suggest unauthorized immigration has no effect on violent crime, and is associated with lower property crime, the same as Mr. Maciag found.
– MHC