Immigrants and Crime in the United States: October 2024

This is old news but worth highlighting given the fact that political leaders regularly blame immigrants for crime.

Research consistently shows that immigrants in the United States commit crimes at lower rates than the native-born population, despite narratives to the contrary that surface at times.

The Migration Policy Institute’s latest explainer offers a look at studies, including a unique dataset from Texas, which demonstrate that immigration is not correlated with increased crime rates—a finding that holds across immigrant groups, including unauthorized immigrants.

In fact, some research suggests a greater concentration of immigrants can be associated with reduced criminal activity, particularly in communities with inclusive policies.

Key findings in the explainer, “Immigrants and Crime in the United States,” include:  

• Immigrants have been incarcerated at rates significantly lower than U.S.-born citizens since at least 1870, with recent data indicating they are 60 percent less likely than the U.S. born to be imprisoned.
• Unauthorized immigrants commit fewer crimes than the U.S.-born population and other immigrant groups, likely influenced by their awareness of the threat of deportation.
• There is no difference in violent crime, rape, or property crime rates between “sanctuary” and non-sanctuary cities.

KJ