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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Do undocumented immigrants commit more crime than native-born Americans?

By Austin Tannenbaum
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NO

Recent research suggests that undocumented immigrants have a lower crime rate than native-born American citizens.

Analyzing Texas arrest data between 2012 and 2018, researchers from the University of Wisconsin, Madison found that undocumented immigrants were "roughly half as likely to be arrested for homicide, felonious assault, and sexual assault" compared to native-born citizens. Undocumented immigrants were also significantly less likely to be arrested for drug and property crimes.

In a similar study, Cato Institute found that in 2018, the criminal conviction rate for undocumented immigrants was 45% below that of native-born Americans in Texas.

Consistent with these findings, a 2018 study published in the journal Criminology, which analyzed criminal, socioeconomic, and demographic data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia between 1990 and 2014, concluded that "undocumented immigration does not increase violence," instead observing a negative correlation between undocumented immigration and violent crime.

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This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Comparing crime rates between undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants, and native-born US citizens in Texas
Cato Institute New Research on Illegal Immigration and Crime
Wiley Online Library Does Undocumented Immigration Increase Violent Crime?
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Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.