Undocumented immigrants are a major source of violence in the US
Executive summary
The claim that undocumented immigrants are a major source of violence in the United States is not supported by the best available empirical research: multiple national and state-level studies find undocumented immigrants have lower arrest and incarceration rates than U.S.-born residents and do not increase violent crime where they settle [1][2][3]. That conclusion is robust across peer‑reviewed work, think‑tank analyses, and law‑enforcement data, though important data gaps and political narratives complicate public perception [1][4][5].
1. Empirical bottom line: studies find lower offending and incarceration rates among undocumented immigrants
Large-scale, peer‑reviewed research using Texas arrest records — one of the few jurisdictions that records immigration status — finds considerably lower felony and homicide arrest rates for undocumented immigrants compared with legal immigrants and native‑born citizens [1][6]. An NIJ‑summarized study of Texas data reported undocumented immigrants were arrested at less than half the rate of native‑born U.S. citizens for violent and drug crimes and at roughly a quarter the rate for property crimes [2]. Broader national analyses likewise show immigrants have historically had lower incarceration rates than the U.S.‑born, with immigrants 60% less likely to be incarcerated in 2020 according to one review [3].
2. Context matters: immigration concentration and inclusive policies often correlate with lower crime
Research examining how immigrant concentrations affect local crime finds that cities with higher immigrant populations often have lower homicide and violent crime rates, and some studies suggest that inclusive local policies and social integration can reduce criminal activity [3][4]. The Brennan Center and other policy analysts caution that spikes in violence are tied to complex factors — pandemic disruptions, gun prevalence, economic instability — rather than to immigration flows alone [4].
3. Why public perception diverges: high‑profile incidents and political framing
Isolated, highly publicized violent acts by undocumented individuals get outsized media and political attention, fueling narratives that immigration causes crime even when aggregate data do not support that link [4]. Advocacy organizations and fact‑checkers note politicians and outlets sometimes conflate anecdote with trend, and debunk viral claims that produce alarming but unsupported statistics about migrant‑linked homicides [4][6].
4. Data limitations and methodological caveats that temper certainty
Researchers repeatedly warn of serious data constraints: most national crime databases do not record immigration status, making it difficult to generalize from single‑state studies; the undocumented population is hard to enumerate and survey, which raises nonresponse bias concerns; and many victims and witnesses among immigrant communities underreport crimes because of fear of deportation [1][5][7]. These limitations mean conclusions should be drawn cautiously and researchers emphasize replication and better data collection [5][1].
5. Structural vulnerabilities: immigration enforcement can create exposure to violence without making immigrants the perpetrators
Scholars describe “legal violence” and “state‑created vulnerabilities” where exclusion from legal labor markets, poverty, and fear of contact with police increase immigrants’ risks of victimization and marginalization — factors that complicate simplistic claims that undocumented immigrants are major sources of violence [5][7]. Studies of foreign‑born victimization highlight that many immigrants, including unauthorized ones, are less likely to report crimes and more likely to suffer violence tied to conditions in origin countries or in precarious U.S. employment and housing [7][5].
6. Bottom line and policy implication
The preponderance of rigorous evidence does not support the assertion that undocumented immigrants are a major source of violence in the U.S.; rather, they tend to have lower arrest and incarceration rates than native‑born residents and do not drive higher local violent‑crime rates in most studies [1][2][3]. That empirical reality should redirect policy debates away from broad criminalization and toward addressing data gaps, protecting victims regardless of status, and tackling the structural causes of violence such as poverty, gun access, and social dislocation that affect all communities [4][5].