Study debunks myth about immigrants' crime rate

Intermountain Catholic

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Bishop John C. Wester

Last week, in this space, I responded to the oft-stated remark that the undocumented could and should "just get in line" and come to the United States legally. Another common myth regarding the undocumented is that their crime rate is higher than that of United States citizens or those who have come here legally.

A number of national studies have refuted this myth, but Brigham Young University Assistant Professor of Sociology Dr. Charlie V. Morgan, with the assistance of John Cutler, has recently released a study specific to Utah.

The Utah Department of Corrections data for the years 2002 through 2010 shows that the average percent of inmates detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement was 4.6 percent of the prison population. That percentage matches what has been agreed to be the average percentage of undocumented living in Utah during those years. In other words, the undocumented are not over-represented in the Utah prison population.

Dr. Morgan notes that the percentages are higher when the categories of murder and sex offenses are examined. Detractors have used these figures to create the myth that the rate of these crimes by the undocumented are higher, but further examination reveals the reason for the distortion. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for parole, so it is possible that undocumented are serving longer sentences when documented inmates may be released early for good behavior. This is particularly true of sex offenders, who can participate in a rehabilitation program that can help them be released early. Thus, there is a cumulative effect with the undocumented immigrants spending more time in prison and, over time, becoming a larger percentage of the inmate population.

Detractors also have noted the high number of undocumented immigrants in Utah and Weber County jails without explaining that those two counties are designated as federal detention centers and hold undocumented immigrants waiting to be deported. Those being held in the Utah and Weber County jails do not only come from all over Utah but also from the states of Idaho and Montana, which do not have their own federal detention centers.

It is also important to note that a significant percentage of these detainees are being held for the misdemeanor charge of not having legal papers to reside in this country, rather than having committed a felony.

Dr. Morgan addresses the crime of identity theft, observing that as many as 50,000 children in Utah may have had their Social Security numbers stolen by undocumented immigrants so that they can work in the formal economy. The solution to this crime is a government system that provides a way for workers to register and be given a way to work legally in our country. I believe that only the federal government has the authority to establish such a system.

In conclusion, it must be noted that while the numbers of foreign-born and Hispanic immigrants living in the U.S. have increased, the property and violent crime rate has actually dropped in the same period. We must not let unfounded fears and the repetition of distorted statistics interfere with our welcoming the stranger.

(A copy of the complete study referenced in this article, "How Much Crime Do Undocumented Immigrants commit in Utah?," may be viewed at the Sutherland Institute website www.sutherlandinstitute.org.)