Politicians Often Misunderstand Each Other on Immigration and Crime, Says UW-Madison Professor.
University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Michael T. Light noted that when politicians discuss immigration and crime, they often “talk past one another.” In a recent interview with WPR’s “Wisconsin Today,” Light emphasized that empirical research can clarify the often heated political discourse.
Research Insights on Immigration and Crime
Light acknowledged that while immigrants do commit crimes, they do so at lower rates than native-born U.S. citizens. “Yes, immigrants have committed crimes. And immigrants commit less crimes than native born U.S. citizens,” he stated. He addressed common misconceptions about immigration and crime, relying on research to substantiate his points.
Comparing Crime Rates
A 2020 study co-authored by Light, using U.S. census data, revealed that crime, offending, and incarceration rates are generally lower among foreign-born individuals. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study compared Texas Department of Public Safety arrest data from 2012 to 2018, covering immigrants without permanent legal status, other immigrants, and native-born U.S. citizens. Light noted that criminologists have observed similar trends for over a century, with records dating back to 1910 consistently showing that immigrants do not commit a disproportionately high amount of crime.
Violent Crimes and Felonies
A 2018 study co-authored by Light and published in Criminology found that as the population of immigrants lacking permanent legal status increased, violent crime tended to decrease. This study used data from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., from 1990 to 2014, to provide the first longitudinal analysis of the relationship between undocumented immigration and violence. Light’s research also indicated that immigrants without permanent legal status are less likely than U.S. citizens to be arrested for any felony, as per the 2020 Texas data study.
Impact of Immigration Laws on Crime
Two studies, one published by The Journal of Law and Economics in 2014 and the other in Criminology & Public Policy in 2023, examined the Secure Communities program, an Obama-era initiative that shared criminal history information between local law enforcement and the federal government from 2008 to 2014. Light pointed out that the program led to a significant increase in deportations of people who had contact with the criminal justice system but had no effect on overall crime rates. He noted that traffic offenders were the largest group identified by the program.
Homicide and Drug Overdose Data
Light observed that border crossings in 2020 “dropped to a trickle,” yet homicides saw a record increase of about 30% that year, unrelated to immigration. Additionally, his 2017 research in the American Journal of Public Health examined trends in illegal immigration from 1990 to 2014, comparing them to arrest and drug overdose data. The results showed no increase in drug or alcohol problems due to illegal immigration, contradicting claims that illegal immigration leads to more crime. “They just really are not related,” Light concluded.