Effects of Immigration on U.S. Crime Rates

¶ … Immigration on U.S. Crime Rates

Immigration in the United States of America

Structure of Immigration

Impact of Immigration on the Crime rates of the United States of America

Conclusion and Policy Implications

Immigration Structure in 1970

Immigration Structure in 2010

Foreign Born Population in the United States of America

Immigrant Share in the Total Population and Across Counties, 1950-2000

Immigrant Flows and Rate of Homicide

Rate of Growth of Incarceration and Immigration

Reasons for the Removal of Criminal Immigrants

This paper aims at identifying the relationship that exists between immigration and crime rates. It aims at highlighting the impact of immigration on the rate of crimes. In addition to that, this paper also makes recommendation, in relation to the alteration of immigrant policies so as to make immigration more secure and safe.

There has been an evident increase in the number of crimes along with the increase in the rate of immigration but a mixed literature exists in relation to the impact of immigration on the crime rates of the United States of America. Immigration is believed to have a combination of positive and negative impacts on the crime rates of U.S.. The United States of America, through the deployment of effective and efficient immigration policies, can mitigate the drawbacks of immigration and deploy the skills of immigrant population for the overall benefit of the nation.

Effects of Immigration on U.S. Crime Rates

1. Introduction

1.1. Background of the Research

The United States has been historically regarded as a country of immigrants. The change in the nature of the immigrants, however, has altered the demographic landscape of the nation in an evident and influential manner. In the recent era, a large number of immigrants, who shifted to United State of America, belonged to Latin America. Apart from that, most of the immigrations, which took place in the United States of America, are unauthorized. (Jones-Correa, 2012)

Since the era of 1960s, crime rates as well as the rate of immigrants travelling to the United States of America have increased evidently. About three fourth of the population of the United States of America believes that the increase in the crime is attributable to increase in the rate of crime. Some of the academic researches, however, do not develop any such relationship. (Spenkuch, 2011)

This paper, therefore, aims at identifying the relationship that exists between immigration and crime rates. It aims at highlighting the impact of immigration on the rate of crimes. In addition to that, this paper also makes recommendation, in relation to the alteration of immigrant policies so as to make immigration more secure and safe.

1.2. Research Aim

This research aims at analyzing the relationship that exists between immigration and crime rates in the United States of America. It highlights the impact of immigration on the crime rates in the United States of America.

1.3. Research Questions

This research will address the following questions:

What is relationship between immigration and the rates of crime in the United States of America?

How can the existing policies be altered to enhance the quality of immigration in the United States of America?

1.4. Significance of the Study

This study would provide relevant information to the concerned authorizes in relation to the impacts of immigration on the crime rates of the United States of America. In addition to that, it will also provide important information to the policy makers as well. Furthermore, this research will provide reliable information to the individuals and organizations that aim at conducting further research on the topic under consideration, effects of immigration of the crime rate of the United States of America.

2. Literature Review

This section closely examines the previous literature that exists in relation to the issue under consideration, effects of immigration of the crime rate of the United States of America. The section analyzes various studies and draws out important findings in relation to the impact of immigration on the rate of crimes in the United States of America.

2.1. Immigration in the United States of America

The United States of America holds a strong history of immigration and this is the reason why it is called a nation of immigrants. This can be established on the basis of the following facts:

In the year 2010, 40 million of the residents of the United States of America, out of the 309 million people of the United States of America were foreign born. (Jones-Correa, 2012)

The United States of America grants legal permanent residence to around 1 million immigrants 1 year. The rate of provision of permanent residence of United States of America is greater than any other nation of the world. (Jones-Correa, 2012)

During the era of 1990s, the arrival of immigrants to the United States of America amounted to more than 14 million people. (Jones-Correa, 2012)

In addition to that, another 13 million people migrated to the United States of America between the year 2000 and the year 2010. (Jones-Correa, 2012)

Previously immigration was restricted to certain states of the United States of America including California, New York, Texas and Florida. But recently the immigrants have spread widely in areas which previously witnesses a low rate of immigration. (Jones-Correa, 2012)

2.2. Structure of Immigration

The structure of immigration during the year 1970 was:

60% Europe

11% Latin American and Caribbean

9% Asia

8% Mexico

8% North America

3% other

1% Africa (Jones-Correa, 2012)

The structure of immigration during the year

12% Europe

24% Latin American and Caribbean

28% Asia

29% Mexico

2% North America

1% other

4% Africa (Jones-Correa, 2012)

2.3. Impact of Immigration on the Crime rates of the United States of America

The relationship between immigration and crime is one of the most controversial issue that has been confronted by the society in the present era. Previously the opinions that linked increase in crimes with the increase in immigration were based on stereotypes rather than empirical testing. But in the recent era a number of studies, based on theoretical structure and empirical testing have been conducted to determine the relationship that exist between immigration and crime rates in the United States of America. (Martinez, Jr. And T. Lee, 2000)

According to a study conducted by Martinez and Lee (2000), the involvement of immigrants in crime is greater than the natives of the United States of America. This conclusion was based on the fact that acculturation and assimilation problems faced by the immigrants is greater than the acculturation and assimilation problems that are confronted by the Native Americans. (Martinez, Jr. And T. Lee, 2000)

In addition to that, the immigrants generally reside in areas that are disorganized in nature. Furthermore, the regions in which the immigrants reside are generally characterized by features that are associated with high rates of crime. These characteristics include widespread poverty, high ratios of ethnic and racial discrepancy and a preference for male gender. These findings, however, are not based on rigorous empirical testing. (Martinez, Jr. And T. Lee, 2000)

It has, however, been indicated by Butcher and Piehl (1998b, 2005) and Moehling and Piehl, (2007), as quoted in the research of Bianchi, Buonanno and Pinotti, (2012), that in the recent era the rate of imprisonment of immigrants is lower than the rate of imprisonment of Native Americans. In the era of 1990s, however, the imprisonment rates of immigrants was greater than that of the Native Americans. (Bianchi, Buonanno and Pinotti, 2012)

This finding was contradicted by another study conducted by Borjas et al. (2010) which indicated that the recent immigrants contribute to the increase in the crime rates in the United States of America in an indirect manner. This is because the recent immigrants replace the blacks in the labor market. This, as a result, pressurizes the blacks economically and leads toward an increase in the criminal rates of the blacks and ultimately the United States of America. (Borjas, Grogger and Hanson, 2010)

In a study conducted by Rumbaut, Gonzales, Komaie, and Morgan, (2006), it was indicated that an increase in the rate of immigrants led towards an evident drop in the rate of crimes in the United States of America during the era of 1990s and 2000s. (Rumbaut et al., 2006) Apart from that, a study conducted by the professor of Harvard University, Dr. Robert Sampson, indicated that the immigrants belonging to first generation are 45% less likely to indulge in criminal behavior as compared to the native Americans, who belong to third generation. (Sampson, 2008)

In addition to that, in a study conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California in the year 2008, as quoted in the research of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, (2008), indicated that the cities in the State of California, which have high rates of immigrants, have confronted lower rates of property crimes and violent crimes as compared to the cities that have low share of immigrants. This study also indicated that the relationship that exists between immigration and low rates of violent crimes is very significant and statistically violent. Furthermore, the study also indicated that the rates of crime lowered more in the cities that have high share of newly arrived foreign born immigrants. (Staff Members of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, 2008)

Furthermore, it has been indicated by a study conducted by Migration Information Source in the year 2006, as quoted in the research of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, (2008), "The incarceration rate of the U.S. born (3.51%) was four times the rate of the foreign born (0.86%). The foreign-born rate was half the 1.71% rate for non-Hispanic white natives, and 13 times less than the 11.6% incarceration rate for native black men." (Staff Members of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, 2008, 1)

In addition to that, it has also been indicated that the immigrants are less likely to get indulge in homicide as compared to the Native Americans. It has been observed by a number of studies that the cities and states having larger shares of immigrants confront lower rates of homicides in the United States of America. A study conducted by, Dr. Jacob Stowell and Dr. Ramiro Martinez (2007), indicated that immigrants had either null or negative impacts on the rate of violent crimes in the United States of America. It can, therefore, be said that immigrants either lowered the rate of violent crimes that prevailed in the United States of America or had no impact whatsoever on the rates of violent crimes. (Stowell and Martinez Jr., 2007)

A study conducted by Camarota, Vaughan and Staff Members of the Center for Immigration Studies, (2009) challenges the authenticity of the researches conducted by government organizations, in relation to the impact of immigration on the rate of crimes in the United States of America. The study argued that the older government data was not appropriate, whereas, the newer data published by the government gives a clearer picture of reality about the relationship that exists between immigration and crime rates in the United States of America. (Camarota, Vaughan and Staff Members of the Center for Immigration Studies, 2009)

The following important findings were highlighted by this study:

It has been estimated by the Department of Homeland Security that around 20% of the prisoners of the United States of America are immigrants. In addition to that, it has also been indicated that around 15.4% of the adults of the nation are immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security, however, did not give any proper information about how these estimates were reached. (Camarota, Vaughan and Staff Members of the Center for Immigration Studies, 2009)

It was also indicated by the study that the a study conducted by a Pew Hispanic Center indicated that, that out of all the offenders who were sentenced for federal crimes in the year 2007, 74% of the immigration offenders were Hispanic immigrants, they accounted for 25% of drug offenders, 6% of firearms offenders, and 8% of white collar offenders. This report, however, did not provide any information about the crimes incurred by the non-Hispanic immigrants, despite the fact that the non-Hispanic immigrants account for 5.1% of the total adult population of the United States of America. (Camarota, Vaughan and Staff Members of the Center for Immigration Studies, 2009)

The study also indicated that the recent reports made by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) and Immigration Policy Center (IPC) indicated that the imprisonment rate of immigrants is lower than the immigration rates of non-immigrants. These reports, however, are based on the 2000 census, which consists of unreliable data. (Camarota, Vaughan and Staff Members of the Center for Immigration Studies, 2009)

Apart from that, the Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities indicated that 8.1% of the prisoners, who are present in prisons of various states are immigrants, both legal and illegal. The survey, however, excluded the jails and relied on self-identification of inmates. This, as a result, increased the probability that the number of immigrants was understated. (Camarota, Vaughan and Staff Members of the Center for Immigration Studies, 2009)

In addition to that, most of the studies that aimed at identifying and comparing the number of immigrants and rate of crimes in various cities of the United States of America do not show an appropriate correlation between the number of immigrants and the total population of the city and the total crime rate of that city. This is one of the most evident reason due to which the number of crimes incurred by immigrants remains limited and lower than that of the Native Americans. (Camarota, Vaughan and Staff Members of the Center for Immigration Studies, 2009)

The study also indicated that during the year 1998 and the year 2007, around 816,000 criminals, who were immigrants, were removed from the United States of America due to a crime or conviction. This amount is equal to one fifth of the total population of jails and prisons of the United States of America. These figures, however, did not include the immigrants who were deported for lesser crimes such as living and working in the United States of America illegally. The departure or removal of immigrants, as a result, lead towards a decline in the rate of imprisonment of the immigrants. This, however, is not the situation in case of the Native Americans. (Camarota, Vaughan and Staff Members of the Center for Immigration Studies, 2009)

Most of the studies link the reduction in the rates of crime in the era of 1990s with the increase in the rate of immigration. This, however, is a very weak and poor way of developing a link between the rates of crime and immigration as the reduction in crime rates was triggered by a number of factors. Apart from that, it shall also be kept under consideration that the era of 1970s and 1980s confronted a rise in the rates of crime along with a rise in the rate of immigration. (Camarota, Vaughan and Staff Members of the Center for Immigration Studies, 2009)