Immigrants and Crime: Separating Myth from Reality with Hard Data

You’ve probably heard the same tired narrative repeated every time immigration comes up in the news—“They’re bringing crime.” But if you’re working in policy, law enforcement, or any area related to community development, you know the truth demands more than soundbites. The relationship between immigration and crime isn’t just misunderstood—it’s often intentionally distorted. If you're going to make decisions based on reality, not rhetoric, you need the numbers. You need the studies, the patterns, and the hard data that can actually shape policy, policing, and public trust. So let’s go straight to the facts and tackle the most persistent myths about immigrants and crime.

The Numbers Don't Lie—More Immigrants, Less Crime

Start with the big picture. From 1980 to 2022, the percentage of immigrants in the U.S. population more than doubled—from 6.2% to nearly 14%. During that same time, crime rates didn’t go up—they went down. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting data shows a drop in violent crime of over 45% and property crime by more than 55%. If more immigrants caused more crime, that trend would’ve gone in the opposite direction.

You might think this is just correlation, but multiple studies have confirmed the pattern. One peer-reviewed study published in the journal Criminology looked at 200 metropolitan areas over a span of more than 40 years. The verdict? No consistent relationship between immigration and higher crime. In fact, in many cases, cities with growing immigrant populations experienced sharper drops in crime than those without.

Immigrants Commit Fewer Crimes Than U.S.-Born Citizens

Let’s dig into who’s actually committing crimes. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin and Stanford looked at Texas criminal records—because Texas tracks crime by immigration status. Over a nine-year span, undocumented immigrants were 47% less likely to be convicted of a crime than native-born residents. Legal immigrants were even less likely—by about 60%.

This trend isn’t unique to Texas. National research, including data from the American Immigration Council and Cato Institute, shows that immigrants are consistently underrepresented in crime statistics relative to their share of the population. Whether you’re looking at violent crime, property crime, or drug offenses, immigrants offend at lower rates.

If you work in law enforcement or policy, that kind of data isn’t just useful—it’s essential. It helps allocate resources, build trust with immigrant communities, and counteract harmful narratives that can cause unnecessary fear and fractured policing.

Undocumented Does Not Equal Dangerous

One of the most politically charged claims is that undocumented immigrants are driving crime. But again, the numbers just don’t support it. In Texas—the only state with immigration status linked to arrest records—undocumented immigrants had lower conviction rates for violent crimes, property crimes, and drug offenses than U.S. citizens.

This isn’t about sugarcoating. It’s about understanding what’s actually happening. Most undocumented immigrants are working, raising families, and staying under the radar. The last thing they want is to attract police attention. That leads to lower contact with the criminal justice system, not more.

You should also know that the process of crossing borders illegally is not in itself a felony—it’s a civil violation. The spike in immigration-related convictions in the federal system has more to do with prosecution priorities than a wave of dangerous criminal activity.

Crime Goes Down in Immigrant-Rich Communities

Want another data point? Areas with high concentrations of immigrants tend to be safer than comparable areas without. Studies from places like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami all report that neighborhoods with more immigrants often have lower levels of violence.

There’s a social science explanation for this. Immigrant communities tend to be tightly knit. Families depend on each other. They build mutual aid networks. There’s a cultural emphasis on hard work and avoiding trouble with the law. All of that contributes to community stability—not lawlessness.

So when people say, “My neighborhood’s changing,” and blame immigrants for crime, what they’re seeing could actually be something else—economic changes, housing instability, or just bias in perception. Data doesn’t support the crime claim.

Incarceration Rates Tell a Clear Story

If immigrants were committing more crimes, you'd expect to see higher incarceration rates. But that’s not the case. In fact, immigrants are underrepresented in U.S. prisons. Studies tracking incarceration since 1870 have found that immigrants—across generations and nationalities—are less likely to be locked up than native-born Americans.

One analysis from the Cato Institute found that legal immigrants had an incarceration rate of 0.47% compared to 1.53% for native-born citizens. Even undocumented immigrants had a lower incarceration rate, sitting at around 0.85%. That’s not nothing—but it’s not the crisis it’s often portrayed to be.

From a policy standpoint, if you’re using incarceration data to guide decisions about immigration enforcement, these numbers should matter. They're telling you that most immigrants—regardless of status—aren’t posing a criminal threat.

Public Perception Isn’t Lining Up with Reality

Why does the myth persist? Because people tend to believe what they hear the most. Political rhetoric and media coverage often give disproportionate attention to crimes involving immigrants—even though those cases are rare. When one incident gets plastered across the news cycle, it reinforces a stereotype, even if 100 other stories prove the opposite.

Polling data shows that a majority of Americans still believe immigrants increase crime. That gap between belief and reality is dangerous—not just for immigrants, but for society at large. It leads to over-policing, distrust between law enforcement and communities, and policies based on fear rather than facts.

If you're working in advocacy or government, closing that gap means pushing hard on truth—because perception, left unchecked, becomes policy.

Do Immigrants Really Lower Crime Rates?

• Immigrants commit fewer crimes than U.S.-born residents
• Higher immigrant populations correlate with lower crime rates
• Areas with more immigrants are often safer
• Public perception is misaligned with decades of crime data

In Conclusion

When you dig into the data, it’s clear: immigrants are not driving crime in the United States. In fact, they’re often associated with lower crime rates, tighter communities, and higher economic contributions. If you want to shape policy that actually improves public safety, you can’t afford to rely on outdated myths or media-driven fear. You’ve got to go where the numbers lead. And right now, they’re all pointing to the same place: immigration doesn’t create chaos—it strengthens the fabric of this country. Your job is to make sure that story gets told.

 Want the full picture? Jinhee Wilde breaks it down with facts, not fear.