No Link Between Immigration and Crime in US Neighborhoods

Topic: Social Science

A large-scale study found no link between unauthorized immigration and crime rates in US neighborhoods. The study tracked trends across 11,500 neighborhoods over eight years. Researchers say this contradicts common claims that immigrants drive crime.

For more than two decades, Charis E. Kubrin has studied the relationship between immigration and crime. As a professor of criminology at UC Irvine, she has built a career on answering one of America's most debated questions: Does immigration drive crime? In a recent study, Kubrin and her colleagues have an answer.

Their research, published in the Journal of Urban Affairs, tracked crime trends across 11,500 neighborhoods representing 46 million residents in diverse US cities between 2010 and 2018. What they found was surprising: Neighborhoods with growing numbers of undocumented residents actually saw a decrease in property crime and no significant change in violent crime.

This study is the first to examine the unauthorized immigration-crime relationship at the neighborhood level on such a large scale. The researchers used restricted individual-level Census data through a federal Research Data Center (RDC) to estimate the number of undocumented residents in each neighborhood. They applied an imputation method similar to those used by the Department of Homeland Security.

The study's lead author, Charis E. Kubrin, notes that this finding is not new. Nearly 100 years ago, a report by the Wickersham Commission showed that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born residents. This finding was even reported on the front page of the New York Times.

Why It Matters

This study's findings can help reduce fear and misinformation about immigration in Indian communities. It also highlights the importance of evidence-based research in policy-making.

Key Facts

• The study tracked crime trends across 11,500 neighborhoods representing 46 million residents in US cities between 2010 and 2018.
• Neighborhoods with growing numbers of undocumented residents saw a decrease in property crime and no significant change in violent crime.
• This study is the first to examine the unauthorized immigration-crime relationship at the neighborhood level on such a large scale.
• The researchers used restricted individual-level Census data through a federal Research Data Center (RDC) to estimate the number of undocumented residents in each neighborhood.
• Nearly 100 years ago, a report by the Wickersham Commission showed that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born residents.

Key Terms

Unauthorized immigration

Immigration without proper documentation or permission

Imputation method

A statistical technique used to estimate missing data

Implications

This study's findings can help reduce fear and misinformation about immigration in Indian communities. It also highlights the importance of evidence-based research in policy-making.