Do Immigrants Really Bring Crime to the United States?

A political debate in the United States during the past few years has focused on the impact, frequency, and severity of criminal activity among our immigrant population – especially among those residing in the country illegally.

Our country was built on immigration, and it is composed of nearly 98% non-native people. Our resources have tightened in the past 50 years and the threat of terrorism has grown, causing the United States to continue to grapple with how many people to allow into the country each year, and how long those legal visitors should stay. It is important to know the facts and to understand the impact enforcement will have on legal immigrants, illegal immigrants, and U.S. citizens.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Residing in the country for more than 90 days (on a tourist visa) or for more than six months on an extended tourist visa is illegal. Without a longer-term H1B work visa, when those time stipulations expire, a non-U.S. citizen residing in the country is breaking the law, and thereby faces legal consequences that can lead to detainment and eventual deportation.

HOW MANY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE IN THE UNITED STATES?

In 2015, there were some 11.5 million illegal immigrants living in the United States – down from 12.2 million in 2007, according to Pew Research Center. This number represents a 5.7% decrease over eight years. An estimated 22% of the illegal immigrant population is composed of individuals under the age of 25. Currently, 788,000 undocumented U.S. residents have applied for protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative.

IMMIGRATION AND INCARCERATION

Immigrants are far less likely to be incarcerated than native-born citizens, according to the Cato Institute. The incarceration rate for native-born citizens is 1.53%, compared with 0.85% for undocumented residents and 0.47% for legal immigrants. Legal immigrants are three times less likely to go to jail than native-born citizens.

DOES IMMIGRATION BRING CRIME TO THE UNITED STATES?

A larger population of residents is always going to increase the number of crimes and criminals. As a population grows, it is important to remember that so too does the need for more infrastructure, programs, and services, which requires more funding and human resources.

Immigration-crime research has increased over the last two decades and has largely found that native-born Americans commit more crimes than immigrants on average. Furthermore, larger cities with larger immigrant populations, on average, have lower crime rates.

DO IMMIGRANTS CONTRIBUTE THEIR FAIR SHARE TO THE ECONOMY?

In 2016, 30% of the U.S. immigrant population older than 25 had college degrees , compared with 32% of natural-born citizens. Immigrants account for 17% (27.6 million) of the U.S. labor force – while comprising only about 13.5% of the U.S. population. Reports indicate that undocumented workers (a subset of the immigrant population) and their families pay upward of $12 billion a year in state and federal taxes.

Considering the economic and legal factors as well as the moral and ethical ramifications of government policy is incredibly important while discussing the delicate and hotly-debated topic of immigration.