Immigration And Crime Essay

Immigration has been a topic of legislation since the founding of the nation but not until 1790 did Congress establish any formal policies (Immigration policy in the United States, 2006, preface, para. 1). A century later the United States had to respond to an ever-increasing level of immigration whereas they took on the responsibility of reviewing and processing those seeking admission (Immigration policy in the United States, 2006, preface, para. 1). The current migration crisis in Europe is troubling (The EU and the refugee crisis, 2016, para. 1). Thus they are trying to find a resolution to the root cause of the crisis which is forcing the European Union to take steps towards tackling the crisis and making it safer for asylum seekers, refugees …show more content…
284). “Whatever the proximate cause, immigration and crime are viewed as inextricably linked” (Mears, 2002, p. 284). However, data collected is plagued with inaccurate and insufficiently reliable data to make a nexus between immigration and crime. Many theories exist to correlate immigration and crime, such as they lack the drive to achieve social and economic goals lawfully, so they rely on illegitimate means. Another theory is their mobility which lessens their sense of shared values making them more prone to committing crimes (Mears, 2002, p. 284). The socioeconomic and social disorganization fosters an increase in crime and is heightened when there is an influx of immigrants (Ferraro, 2016, p. …show more content…
2). Data used to determine the number of immigrant offenders versus native-born may be inaccurate because many states do not accurately track or record the citizenship of criminals. Furthermore, states and the federal government need to make policies that make sense and benefit native-born all the while advancing foreign-born individuals in achieving citizenship. Current data illustrates a reversal of fortune for native-born because the immigrant working population grew by 0.6 percent more than native-born (Rubenstein, 2016, para. 2). Secondly, employment for immigrants rose 4.9 percent while native-born job gains increased by 1.4 percent. In August of 2016 the number of native-born workers displaced by immigrants ranks as the highest in Obama’s tenure as president (Rubenstein, 2016, para. 3). To help stem the flow of illegal immigrants host nations should redirect funds to source countries which would allow them to aid their own (Dula, Kahana, & Tikva, 2006, p. 315). The financial support could bolster the home country by helping curb the number of those leaving (Dula, Kahana, & Tikva, 2006, p. 315). Regardless of one’s opinion, host nations must deport those who are criminals and terrorist as well as vet those seeking asylum but more importantly