THE HARD WORKING "CRIMINAL"

"You don't migrate to the United States from countries around the world on a whim. It takes planning, and for the most part, it is driven by economic motivations. People want a better life. They're seeking to get ahead. And those are the very factors that tend to be associated with lower crime." - Robert Sampson, Social Scientist at Harvard University 

"There's no evidence that immigrants — or even illegal immigrants — are necessarily any more or less likely to be committing crimes than the population at large, says Jessica Vaughan, the center's director of policy studies.  "It's just that they tend to be associated with certain types of crimes — drug trafficking, for example." (Vaughan)

When certain people hear the word “illegal immigrant,” they instantly associate them with crime. As stated above, there is no definitive evidence in which one can link rising crime rates with immigrants. In fact, it has been noted in states like New York, where a significant amount of immigrants reside, crime has dropped within the last two decades and police statistics show that Sunset Park is much safer than it was 20 years ago.  Homicides are down more than 90 percent.  Crime rates have dropped all over New York City since 1990 — but especially in neighborhoods that have high immigration population (Rose).

As stated above, it is not possible to definitively link the rise in crime rates with the presence of immigrants; for the sake of presenting the oppositional perspective however, I will introduce facts in which crime has been associated with illegal immigrants:

            Together, Arizona, California and Texas are now home to 4.7 million of the 11 million illegal immigrants the Department of Homeland Security estimates are in the country. In 2004, the year when the data was most recently available, 12.4 percent of California prisoners were illegal immigrants, as compared to an estimated 6.9 percent of the state population. In Arizona, 11.1 percent of the prison population was undocumented, compared with 7 percent of the overall state population. In Texas, the percentage was also slightly higher in the prisons than it was statewide (Fox News).  Vaughan, a co-author of the Center for Immigration Studies report and policy director at the think tank, said it's apparent that there is a connection between illegal immigrants and certain types of crimes, like drug trafficking and identify theft. Furthermore, she said, illegal immigrants have a tendency toward recidivism (NPR.org). When an immigrant is caught committing a crime, their immigration status and stay in the United States is often the offense.

            Crime does not discriminate by skin tones or legal statuses.  Crimes are committed by peoples of all skin colors, legal statuses, genders, ethnicities, etc.  Crimes are being committed in dark streets by thugs and thieves as well as Wall Street by white collar Americans.  Pointing at statistics that show how certain groups of people are represented more than others in the penal system does not change the fact that many people belonging to other groups are slipping through the cracks, on purpose.  The most prevalent crime being committed is the unwarranted prejudice and resentment held against immigrants simply because they are, “illegal.” 

Citations:

Digital image. <http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/29/border-states-dealing-illegal-immigrant-crime-data-suggests/#>.

News, Fox. "Border States Deal With More Illegal Immigrant Crime Than Most, Data Suggest." Fox News. 30 Apr. 2010. FOX News Network. 21 Nov. 2013 <http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/29/border-states-dealing-illegal-immigrant-crime-data-suggests/>.

Rose, Joel. "Does Crime Drop When Immigrants Move In?" NPR. 8 Mar. 2013. NPR. 21 Nov. 2013 <http://www.npr.org/2013/03/08/173642807/does-crime-drop-when-immigrants-move-in>.

Sampson, Robert. "Re: Does Crime Drop When Immigrants Move In?" Web log comment. NPR. National Public Radio, 8 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.npr.org/2013/03/08/173642807/does-crime-drop-when-immigrants-move-in>.

Vaughan, Jessica. "Re: Does Crime Drop When Immigrants Move In?" Web log comment. NPR. National Public Radio, 8 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.npr.org/2013/03/08/173642807/does-crime-drop-when-immigrants-move-in>.