Immigration Status and Crime: A Comparison Between Hispanic Undocumented Immigrants and US Citizens

Most studies assessing the relationship between immigration and crime rely on official data and tend to examine immigration status as citizen versus non-citizen. The categorization of non-citizen does not often distinguish between individuals with different statuses. The present study relies on self-report data from a sample of predominantly Hispanic immigrant respondents to explore whether undocumented immigrants, relative to U.S. citizens, are less or more likely to engage in crime. Specifically, our research questions focus on the likelihood of engaging in property crime, violent crime, drug use, and drug sales. We rely on interviews with arrestees in a large county jail ( n  = 1,948). The results indicate that undocumented immigrants are significantly less likely than U.S. citizens to engage in property crime, violent crime, and drug use. There were no significant differences in drug sales. The results show that while policymakers and the general public may fear the influx of undocumented migration into the United States may result in an influx in crime, there is no evidence to support such a claim.