Immigration and crime

Immigration and crime explores whether there is a relationship between criminal activity and the phenomenon of immigration. Most studies show that immigration has either no or minimal impact on crime, while other studies have found it increases crime under certain conditions.[1][2] Immigrants are disproportionately represented in the prison populations of many Western countries, with the notable exception of the United States.[2][3] There is little evidence that migration unconditionally leads to more terrorist activity, especially in Western countries, and the effectiveness of stopping migration on preventing terrorism is rather limited.[4] Research on the relationship between refugee migration and crime is ambiguous, and does not increase crime in resettlement programs like that of the United States, which screen-out high-risk individuals.[5]

Some scholars argue that data of crime rates among immigrants is often inflated because it includes imprisonment for migration offenses or due to racial and ethnic discrimination by police and the judicial system, which can result in higher conviction rates for immigrants relative to the actual number of crimes committed.[6][7] Research suggests that people overestimate the impact of immigration on crime, in part due to sensational media coverage or narratives pushed by politicians. This fear of crime can lead to increases in hate crimes against immigrants, as well as harsher immigration policies like family separation.[8]

  1. ^ Lange, Martin; Sommerfeld, Katrin (2024). "Do refugees impact crime? Causal evidence from large-scale refugee immigration to Germany". Labour Economics. 86. Elsevier BV: 102466. doi:10.1016/j.labeco.2023.102466. ISSN 0927-5371. Previous studies about the effect of immigration on crime show mixed results. Part of the literature finds the effects of immigration on crime in host countries to be close to zero in general ... Other studies tend to conclude that immigration increases crime under certain circumstances, particularly if immigrants have poor prospects on the labor market or if they face labor market restrictions.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :70 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cohn, Ellen G.; Coccia, Mario; Kakar, Suman (2024). "Disparate incarceration rates of foreign citizens in Europe compared to Anglo-Saxon countries". Sociology Compass. 18 (1). doi:10.1111/soc4.13167. ISSN 1751-9020. The principal findings suggest, in most European countries, a significantly higher rate of foreign citizens held in prison compared to non‐immigrants.
  4. ^ Helbling, Marc; Meierrieks, Daniel (2020). "Terrorism and Migration: An Overview". British Journal of Political Science. 52 (2): 977–996. doi:10.1017/S0007123420000587. ISSN 0007-1234. 1) there is little evidence that more migration unconditionally leads to more terrorist activity, especially in Western countries... (3) the effectiveness of stricter migration policies in deterring terrorism is rather limited
  5. ^ Masterson, Daniel; Yasenov, Vasil (2021). "Does Halting Refugee Resettlement Reduce Crime? Evidence from the US Refugee Ban". American Political Science Review. 115 (3): 1066–1073. doi:10.1017/S0003055421000150. ISSN 0003-0554.
  6. ^ Crocitti, Stefania (2014). Immigration, Crime, and Criminalization in Italy – Oxford Handbooks. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199859016.013.029.
  7. ^ West, Jeremy (February 2018). "Racial Bias in Police Investigations" (PDF). Working Paper. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  8. ^ Ajzenman, Nicolas (29 January 2023). "Migrants don't cause crime rates to increase — but false perceptions endure anyway". The Conversation. Retrieved 5 August 2024. Although most research shows immigration has either no impact or a minimal impact on crime, many people seem to believe the connection exists. It seems hostility against immigrants isn't crime itself but false perceptions about crime.