President Donald Trump has long used security and safety as reasons to tighten immigration laws and border security. However a new report cast serious doubt to claims saying a rise in immigrants leads to a rise in crime. If fact, it might do the exact opposite.
According to Scientific American, Robert Adelmen of the University of Buffalo and Lesley Reid of the University of Alabama recently analyzed crime and census data in 200 metropolis’ from 1970-2010 to discover if increased immigration led to more crime. A metropolis is any city with a population over 100,000. The studies concluded that the more immigration increased, the lower the murder, robbery, burglary and larceny rates became. Aggravated Assault was the only crime that wasn’t affected.
Researchers at the Chicago School of Sociology attribute crime rates to the diversity of each city. Metropolis’ with higher numbers of immigrants are likely to have more diverse business places, schools, churches, events, etc. It is more difficult for immigrants to feel uncomfortable when a large amount live amongst one another, the report says. People freely associate with every race and ethnicity without fear of any condemnation.
Immigrants tend to live in poorer neighborhoods when they first arrive to America, according to a study done by Maria B. Velez. When a large number of immigrants move into a struggling neighborhood, they add to the local economy and bring a new dynamic to the area.
According to studies included in the Chicago School of Sociology article, cities that are not as accepting or have a small number of immigrants are subjected to more crime. In these cities, immigrants live amongst each other and rarely associate with anyone outside of their comfort zone. New York, for example, has Flushing, Queens and Washington Heights, all of which are common areas for immigrants to live. There are specific businesses within these neighborhoods developed by immigrants for immigrants. Immigrants have tried to create an area within New York City with all the necessary facilities to separate themselves from non-immigrants. It becomes more of a competition between each ethnicity rather than a common coexistence. People gravitate to where they are most comfortable.
Diversity amongst political offices in cities has also proven to lower crime rates according the Chicago School of Sociology. Immigrants feel more of a connection to a city when they see different races and ethnicities in office. They are able to trust and feel like their voice will be heard if the time ever comes to say something.
“The most common explanation is that immigration reduces levels of crime by revitalizing urban neighborhoods, creating vibrant communities and generating economic growth,” said Adelman. There is not, however, any specific statistics available regarding crime amongst immigrants from the seven countries banned by Trump. While crime amongst cities with high immigrant populations may be lower, statistics for the seven countries Trump is worried about are yet to be discovered.
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