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Washington, D.C. (October 12, 2022) – Widely cited studies on the immigration status of criminal offenders in Texas are incorrect, according to a detailed Center for Immigration Studies review of criminal justice data published by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Prior research relying on that data to compare crime rates of native-born and foreign-born populations has misinterpreted important definitions and methodologies, leading to misleading claims, which were broadly disseminated by the media.
Texas is among the few states that keep comprehensive data on the immigration status of arrestees and convicts. However, the data is constantly updated as new information becomes available. Some people are identified as illegal immigrants immediately upon arrest, while the immigration status of others is not discovered until they are in prison, if at all. Prior research did not account for the fact that if a convict is initially classified as “other/unknown”, he is not necessarily native-born; in fact, sometimes he is an illegal immigrant whose status will be discovered later.
“Texas data is among the best we have to measure illegal immigrant crime. Properly understood, this data shows that robust immigration enforcement contributes greatly to public safety in Texas”, said Steven Camarota, the Center’s Director of Research and co-author of the report. “Preventing the entry of illegal aliens with a criminal past and removing noncitizens who commit crimes makes communities safer.”
While this new analysis corrects previous studies, some caveats remain about this data. Since some illegal immigrants are not identified as such until they've been in prison for a number of years, the number of illegal immigrant convicts in Texas is still undercounted. This is especially true for those convicted of lesser crimes carrying shorter sentences, because they are often released before their illegal status is discovered. Moreover, it is not clear if the crime rate of illegal immigrants in Texas is representative of illegal immigrants nationally. Finally, the crime rate for illegal immigrants is tangential to the policy debate; whether crimes by illegal aliens are widespread or rare, each one should have been prevented by proper enforcement of the immigration laws.
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