Immigrants in the United States report more crimes and commit fewer crimes. All the details in this investigation.

Despite evidence showing that immigrants in the United States report more crimes and commit fewer crimes, social prejudices persist that stigmatize them as a security threat. 

This contradiction is mainly explained by factors that have been steadily increasing in the United States, such as xenophobia and racism. Many immigrants, especially Latinos and people of African descent, are judged not by their actual behavior, but by stereotypes that link them to criminality, informality, or the supposed burden on the state. 

This situation isn’t entirely new, but it has strengthened in recent months, partly thanks to the narrative surrounding their presence, which is fueled by three dimensions: racial, which criminalizes non-white communities; economic, which presents them as rivals for jobs or resources; and cultural, which accuses them of failing to integrate or of disrupting the national identity. 

 Therefore, while data reveal that immigrants reduce victimization rates and increase cooperation with justice, narratives of fear and exclusion gain ground. 

You don’t have to look far to find stories along these lines. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavit stated a few days ago that «There is crime in every state, but the highest crime rate is in cities run by Democrats. If you look at the list of the top 20 high-crime cities in the United States, every single one, except Louisiana, is run by a Democrat.» This was without any statistical support and perhaps alluding to many so-called «sanctuary» states where laws are somewhat more flexible for immigrants. 

For many Democratic leaders, like New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the «sanctuary city» classification doesn’t mean these territories are safe havens for violent criminals. Rather, many of their policies build trust by encouraging undocumented immigrants to report crimes and seek help without fear of deportation. 

What do the crime figures in the United States say? 

For decades, some sectors in the United States have insisted on associating immigration with crime. However, a study we learned about, recently published by the Cato Institute and based on data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which analyze 6 years of behavior, showing us a very different picture. 

Immigrants not only have lower rates of violent victimization, but are also more likely to report crimes, helping to build safer communities.  

Between 2017 and 2023, immigrants were 44% less likely than U.S.-born individuals to be victims of violent crime. The gap widens when analyzing violence perpetrated by acquaintances: immigrants were 64% less likely to be attacked by family members, intimate partners, or acquaintances. 

Even in sensitive crimes like intimate partner or family violence, the gap is clear: victimization rates were 65% lower among immigrants than among native-born Americans. These figures reflect a consistent pattern: immigrants, on average, experience less violence in their daily lives. 

The study analyzes that, by committing fewer violent crimes, immigrants reduce the rate of victimization by violence in the United States. 

It is important to understand that the United States population in 2025 was estimated at around 337 million inhabitants and by 2023, according to the latest American Community Survey (ACS) from the U.S. Census Bureau, 47.8 million were immigrants residing in the country. 

(https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states ) 

Violent victimization rate in the United States 

Figures show that between 2017 and 2023, immigrants had a violent victimization rate of approximately 12 per 1,000 people, while for those born in the United States, the average rate was 22, roughly double that of immigrants. At the same time, immigrants were 44.5% less likely to be victims of violent crime than the U.S.-born population. In cities with populations over 100,000, the difference was 47%. Even among people under 35, the gap narrows to 39%. 

Fewer criminals, fewer victims 

According to this same study, immigrants commit fewer violent crimes than U.S.-born individuals, and because offenders tend to be in the same social circle as their victims—neighbors, friends, family members, or coworkers—lower crime rates in immigrant communities directly translate into lower victimization rates. 

The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) shows that an average of only 0.5% of immigrants and 0.7% of noncitizens have been incarcerated, compared to 1.4% of the U.S.-born population. 

The data also show that immigrants and non-citizens were, respectively, 64% and 49% less likely to be incarcerated in the U.S. than native-born individuals. These gaps are almost identical in the victimization rate for people previously known to the victim (63.5% and 49.1%). Therefore, it can be concluded that immigrants are less likely to be victims of crimes and end up in prison for committing them.

The presence of immigrants contributes to the decrease in levels of violence 

Analyzing the results by crime type, we find that immigrant victimization is low because immigrant crime is also low. The study shows that immigrants were less likely than U.S.-born individuals to be victims of all types of violent crimes: 44% for aggravated assault, 60% for violent sexual offenses, 6% for robbery, 49% for simple assault, and 48% for verbal threats. 

This means that the presence of immigrants helps lower levels of violence in the United States, reducing the number of people who end up being victims of various crimes. 

A more collaborative community 

The study also shows that immigrants are not isolated from crime. On the contrary, over the past six years, immigrants reported violent crimes to the police 49% of the time, compared to 42% of the U.S.-born. The reporting gap is similar among those under 35; while the U.S.-born reported 36% of the time, all immigrants did so 43% of the time. (https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/immigrants-cut-victimization-rates-boost-crime-reporting#immigrant-victimization-rates )  

During that period, immigrants assisted police in 5.1 million crimes. This cooperation between victims and police resulted in nearly half a million arrests of criminals and nearly 300,000 arrests of violent offenders.  

The data partially refutes the narrative that immigration threatens public safety. On the contrary, the data suggests that immigrants reduce the likelihood of violent crime victimization in the US and strengthen trust between citizens and the police. 

But this isn’t the only research that supports this theory; multiple studies agree that both legal and undocumented immigrants commit fewer crimes compared to US-born citizens. 

This trend is even seen in research published in March 2024 by Northwestern University , based on Census data since 1870, which concludes that immigrants have consistently had lower rates of incarceration than the U.S. born. Today, immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than native-born citizens, and 30% less likely compared to white Americans. ( https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2024/03/immigrants-are-significantly-less-likely-to-commit-crimes-than-the-us-born ) 

The study also reveals that, over a 150-year period, immigrants have never been incarcerated at a higher rate than those born in the United States. The differences in incarceration have widened since 1960, with recent waves of immigrants 50% to 60% less likely to be incarcerated than U.S.-born men. 

What do other institutes and research centers say? 

The American Immigration Council found that between 1980 and 2022, as the proportion of immigrants increased (6.2 → 13.9%), the total crime rate fell by 60.4 %, the violent crime rate fell by 34.5%, and property crime fell by 63.3%. 

According to the study, in 1980, immigrants represented 6.2% of the US population, and the total crime rate was 5,900 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. In recent years, the number of immigrants has doubled, reaching 13.9%, yet the total crime rate has dropped by 60.4%, to 2,335 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. 

It should be noted that overall crime rates include violent crimes such as murder and manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault; and property crimes such as burglary, larceny, and vehicle theft.  

(https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/debunking_the_myth_of_immigrants_and_crime.pdf )  

nineteen research reports examining the relationship between immigrants and crime had been published, all of which reached one of two conclusions: that the proportion of immigrants in an area appeared to have no effect on the rate of violent or property crime in that area; or that higher numbers of immigrants were associated with lower rates of violent and property crime. In other words, what this means is that when immigration increases, crime either remains the same or decreases. 

For its part, the Immigration Policy also details in another study that, in 2020, immigrants were 60% less likely to be incarcerated than those born in the US, according to figures from the National Bureau of Economic Research , despite the fact that a 2021 Department of Justice study indicated that prosecutions of immigrants had increased between 1990 and 2018, but almost 90% had been for violations of immigration laws. 

This study also concludes that “while being present in the United States without authorization constitutes an administrative violation (punishable by deportation), unauthorized immigrants are less likely to commit misdemeanors and felonies than the U.S.-born population and other immigrant groups.”  

(https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/mpi-explainer-immigration-crime-2024_final.pdf ) 

Furthermore, this analysis also found that undocumented immigrants had the lowest rates of arrest for serious crimes. U.S. citizens were twice as likely to be arrested for violent crimes, 2.5 times as likely for drug offenses, and more than four times as likely for property crimes compared to undocumented immigrants.  

(https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2014704117?utm_source) 

In the end, the numbers show more than statistics: they are lives on hold, families separated, and communities fragmented. Speaking of which, as of September 7, 2025, according to TRAC Immigration, ICE was detaining 58,766 people, of whom 41,589 (70.8%) had no criminal record. Even among those with convictions, many cases involved only minor traffic violations. 

Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programs, as many don’t pose a real risk. In fact, under the current administration, the numbers have nearly doubled compared to Biden’s first year: between 182,000 and 185,000 people are under ATD in just six months, compared to 88,000 to 107,000 during the previous administration. 

The paradox is evident: while the narrative of immigrants as threats is fueled, reality confirms that most immigrants pose no danger. The question remains: will stigmas and exclusionary practices continue to be fostered, or will immigrants be recognized as a vital force that sustains, contributes to, and enriches society?