Are immigrant men less likely to be incarcerated than U.S.-born men? 

Based on 2023 research, the incarceration rate from 1870-2020 was lower for immigrant men compared to men born in the United States.

In 1960, the incarceration rate for immigrant men dropped significantly below men born in the U.S., regardless of multiple factors including race, age and country of origin. 

This is also true for men emigrating from Mexico and other nations in Central America. Since 2005, this population has had a higher incarceration rate compared with white U.S.-born men. However, when areas with the largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities are taken out of the data, researchers saw that “the gap relative to U.S.-born white men moderates or disappears in most years.”

The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, hypothesizes that the immigrant crime rate may be lower in part because of a fear among immigrants of jeopardizing their immigration status.