Most federal “crimes” committed by noncitizens are “immigration crimes”

Hot(ish) off the presses. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report on Noncitizens in the U.S.: Public Information on Federal Incarcerations (Sept. 3, 2024). Hat tip to immprof César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández for pointing the publication out on his Instagram feed.

Page 7 is a real eye opener. The GAO reports: “For approximately three-quarters of noncitizens sentenced for a federal crime from fiscal year 2018 through fiscal year 2023, the most serious offense they were convicted of—referred to throughout as “offense type”—was immigration- related (76 percent) (see table 1). Each year, between 73 percent and 81 percent of these noncitizens were sentenced for immigration-related crimes, the vast majority for unlawfully entering or remaining in the U.S.“

Here is Table 1:

Thus, the most serious “crime” committed by 75% of federal noncitizen offenders is the “crime” of entering the United States itself. 

-KitJ