Migrant crime is politically charged, but the reality is more complicated

NPR talked to more than 20 people along this commercial strip, and they all said their impression was that crime has gone up in the last year. It's a trend that is reflected in the statistics. According to the New York City Police Department's CompStat system, crime in this precinct is up more than 15% in the first four months of this year compared with the same period last year, while it's down in the city as a whole. Robbery is up more than 40% in the first four months of this year compared with the same period last year.

Americans Are Sick And Tired Of The Illegal Immigrant Crime Epidemic

Because of the constant stream of news and information that we’re all subjected to on a daily basis, some of the most revealing moments in politics can be the easiest to overlook. It’s hard to spot a confession when there’s a million other things going on.

Are Immigrants Prone to Crime and Terrorism?

Donald Trump portrays immigration as a threat to public safety, but research paints a very different picture.

Immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born Americans, studies find

Beyond incarceration rates, research also shows that there is no correlation between undocumented people and a rise in crime. Recent investigations by The New York Times and The Marshall Project found that between 2007 and 2016, there was no link between undocumented immigrants and a rise in violent or property crime in those communities.

Immigrants are significantly less likely to commit crimes than the U.S.-born

Study finds over a 150-year period, immigrants have never been incarcerated at a greater rate than those born in the United States.

Increased Illegal Immigration Brings Increased Crime: Almost 2/3 of Federal Arrests Involve Noncitizens

While the majority of illegal aliens seek a better life, the undeniable link between increasing illegal immigration and crime poses a significant threat.

Migrant arrests are up, but they’re rarely accused of violent felonies

Researchers say they’re not surprised by the Tribune’s findings. They point out that most migrants come for a better life, and they surmise that those who end up committing crimes typically steal out of desperation. “It’s certainly not a violent crime wave,” said Graham Ousey, a criminologist at William & Mary in Virginia. “It is the impact of people who are deprived of resources.”

Migrant crime is turning cities into war zones

The Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, feared for how it tortures its victims, is setting up shop in New York City, police sources revealed to The Post. Gang members recruit migrants from shelters and as they come off buses from Texas, putting them to work in retail theft rings or on mopeds grabbing phones and handbags and roughing up pedestrians. “This is organized crime. It’s just like the Mafia,” says Paul DiGiacomo, president of the city’s Detectives’ Endowment Association.

The Myth of the Migrant Crime Wave

"Few people are murderers, and illegal immigrants are statistically less likely to be murderers. Still, some illegal immigrants do commit homicide, and that statistical fact is no comfort to victims and their families," wrote Nowrasteh. But "we should understand that more enforcement of immigration laws will not reduce homicide rates."

The mythical tie between immigration and crime

Opponents of immigration often argue that immigrants drive up crime rates. But newly released research from Stanford economist Ran Abramitzky and his co-authors finds that hasn’t been the case in America for the last 140 years.

‘Migrant Crime Wave’ Not Supported by Data, Despite High-Profile Cases

Several well-publicized acts of violence by migrants in New York have unsettled some city leaders, but police statistics do not point toward a surge in crime.