As the influx of immigration continues, a growing concern is the connection between crime and immigration. In a new Pew Research Center report about the situation at the US-Mexico border, 57% of Americans said the large number of migrants seeking to enter the country leads to more crime. However, criminologists’ research does not support this connection.
Criminology professors, Charis Kubrin and Graham Ousey, have studied this topic for decades and wrote the book, “Immigration and Crime: Taking Stock” in 2023. Kubrin states, “The most common finding across all these different kinds of studies is that immigration to an area is either not associated with crime in that area, or is negatively associated with crime in that area. Meaning more immigration equals less crime. It’s rare to find studies that show crime following increases in immigration or with larger percentage of the population that are immigrants.”
These criminologists go on to say that there really is no way to know that immigrants are causing any surge in crime, and that stigma is leading the people to create this connection themselves. As immigration continues to be a growing issue in the United States, it is important that individuals and the media paint a full picture with research-backed claims, staying open to the more positive aspects of immigration, and not creating an unnecessary enemy.
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