DOES IMMIGRATION INCREASE HOMICIDE? Negative Evidence From Three Border Cities

Abstract

Rich a rd Rose n fe I d University of Missouri--St. Louis, National Consortium on Violence ResearchUnderstanding the complex relationship between immigration and crime was once a corc concern of American sociology. Yet the extensive post-1965 wave of immigration to the United States has done little to rekindle scholarly interest in this topic, even as politicians and other public figurcs advocate public policies to restrict immigration as a means of preventing crime. Although both popular accounts and sociological theory predict that immigration should increase crime in areas where immigrants scttle, this study of Miami, El Paso. and San Diego neighborhoods shows that, controlling for other influences, immigration generally does not increase levels of homicide among Latinos and African Americans. Our results not only challenge stereotypes of the "criminal immigrant" but also the core criminological notion that immigration, as a social process, disorganizes communities and increases crime.Understanding the social consequences of immigration and urbanization were instrumental concerns of those who created American sociology as a distinct academic discipline (M. Waters 1999). The founders of the Chicago School of sociology were troubled by the urban problems linked to newcomers, and early sociologists wrestled with the connections between immigration and crime. This anxiety produced some of American sociology's most enduring conceptual and empirical work, including classics on social disorganization (Thomas and Znaniecki 1920; Shaw and McKay 1931) and culture conflict (Sutherland 1934;Sellin 1938). Despite the potentially significant effect of immigration on current levels of crime and the high-profile role of this relationship in the history of the discipline, contemporary sociological studies of the link between crime and immigration are scarce.Direct all correspondence to Matthew T. Lcc.

Assessing the Effects of Recent Immigration on Serious Property Crime in Austin, Texas

“…Our findings indicate that recent immigration is not a meaningful predictor of burglary, theft, or motor vehicle theft in this emerging urban gateway, once community variables are controlled for, which is consistent with the existing research on violent crime in tradition locations (Alaniz, Cartmill, and Parker 1998;Lee et al 2001;Martinez 2004;Reid et al 2005), and contrary to the recent research on violence in new locales (Shihadeh and Barranco 2010). There are a few possible explanations for why we do not see higher rates of property crime in new urban gateway communities.…”

“…Consistent with a number of similar studies (Lee et al 2001;Martinez 1997;, the minimum population requirement is necessary to stabilize crime incident counts, avoiding areas with very few residents where the significance of criminal activity may be statistically inflated.…”

“…As the post-1965 wave of Latino immigrants have settled in predominantly urban neighborhoods subject to community conditions of poverty and unemployment (Hagan and Palloni 1998;Portes and Rumbaut 2006), immigrants may face economic barriers and blocked opportunities that make it difficult to abide by conventional societal norms. As an example, new arrivals may initially be faced with limited opportunities entering into the labor market due to language barriers, a lack of well-paying jobs within close proximity, and discrimination (Fisher and Tienda 2006;Hagan and Palloni 1998;Lee et al 2001;Waldinger 1993).…”

“…The juxtaposition between the economic motive underlying much recent immigration, and the limited economic opportunities and discrimination awaiting recent arrivals in some job markets (Hagan and Palloni 1998;Lee et al 2001;Waldinger 1993), would create conditions under which elevated property crime would be expected-as it is property crime that targets these same monetary aspirations. Accordingly, this study will consider the effect of recent immigration on serious property crime in the city of Austin, Texas.…”

Theorizing Latino Rates of Crime and Deviance

“…In their study on foreign-born Hispanics in American metropolitan areas, Reid et al (2005) report that a positive relationship exists between Latino population percentages in terms of robbery rates, but argue that no significant relationship exists between Hispanic population percentages and crime rates in metro areas when exploring homicides and property offenses. Another study focusing on homicide rates in the three border cities of Miami, El Paso, and San Diego conducted by Lee et al (2001) found similar results and subsequentlyreportno correlation exists between a population's percentage of Hispanics and the rate of murders in that area. Ultimately and quite plainly, Lee et al (2001) claim "immigration is not related to higher Latino homicide rates in these three cities" (p. 570).…”