In recent weeks, there has been an upsurge in controversy over crime committed by immigrants, sparked by a recent murder in San Francisco, and by presidential candidate Donald Trump’s exploitation of the issue. But as conservative commentator Linda Chavez points out, immigrants – both legal and illegal – have far lower crime rates than native-born Americans do. Even if they did not, it does not follow that immigration restrictions and deportation are the right solution to the problem.
Numerous studies show that immigrants have lower crime rates than natives, a finding which holds true even if you focus solely on Mexican immigrants – the main objects of Trump’s ire. Indeed, Mexican-born immigrant males aged 18-39 who lack a high school diploma …show more content…
The burden of proof that such policies must meet is a lot higher than whatever might be sufficient to justify a differential curfew, confiscation of guns, or similar more moderate infringement on freedom. Yet it is fairly obvious that there are numerous more cost-effective ways to lower violent crime, including – as noted above – devoting to that purpose some of the resources currently allocated to keeping out and deporting peaceful migrants. For example, some of that money could be spent on increasing the number of police officers assigned to high-crime neighborhoods. Unlikely immigration restrictions, increasing police presence has a proven record of reducing crime rates.
Many immigration restrictionists nonetheless claim that immigrants – or at least illegal immigrants – are different from young males because their mere presence in the US violates the law, thus essentially making them criminals regardless of whether they have committed any other wrongs. Illegally crossing the border is in fact a minor misdemeanor under federal law. If you think that anyone who violates the law in any way is thereby a morally depraved person who must be punished, then you can consistently advocate immigration restriction and deportation as “solutions” to immigrant
Numerous studies show that immigrants have lower crime rates than natives, a finding which holds true even if you focus solely on Mexican immigrants – the main objects of Trump’s ire. Indeed, Mexican-born immigrant males aged 18-39 who lack a high school diploma …show more content…
The burden of proof that such policies must meet is a lot higher than whatever might be sufficient to justify a differential curfew, confiscation of guns, or similar more moderate infringement on freedom. Yet it is fairly obvious that there are numerous more cost-effective ways to lower violent crime, including – as noted above – devoting to that purpose some of the resources currently allocated to keeping out and deporting peaceful migrants. For example, some of that money could be spent on increasing the number of police officers assigned to high-crime neighborhoods. Unlikely immigration restrictions, increasing police presence has a proven record of reducing crime rates.
Many immigration restrictionists nonetheless claim that immigrants – or at least illegal immigrants – are different from young males because their mere presence in the US violates the law, thus essentially making them criminals regardless of whether they have committed any other wrongs. Illegally crossing the border is in fact a minor misdemeanor under federal law. If you think that anyone who violates the law in any way is thereby a morally depraved person who must be punished, then you can consistently advocate immigration restriction and deportation as “solutions” to immigrant