Study: What Immigrant Crime Wave?

[kpete]

Study: What Immigrant Crime Wave?
By Jeralyn
Posted on Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 07:32:00 AM EST


A new study by Harvard sociologist Robert Sampson finds that rising immigration rates in communities do not result in rising crime rates.

studied crime and immigration in 180 neighborhoods in Chicago over seven years, found that first-generation immigrants were 45 percent less likely to commit violent acts than third generation Americans.

"Immigrants have lower rates of crime and there is a negative correlation between the trends," Sampson said in an interview.http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080319/lf_nm_life/crime_immigration_dc_1

The results of Sampson's study showed that incentive to work, ambition and a desire not to be deported were common reasons cited for first generation immigrants, especially Mexicans, not to commit crimes.


more at:
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/3/20/45528/0848

[mmonk]

1. Send it to Lou Dobbs.

[ThomWV]

2. I do not find this surprising, but I wish more people were aware of it

In my limited experience with folks new to this country is that they have been, without exception, here to improve their lives by virtue of their willingness to work in the (to paraphrase a military term) opportunity rich environment we offer. I have never met a person who came here to rape, rob, deal drugs, molest people of either sex, beat children, or murder.

I had always suspected that at least a part of the reason was the the new residents I've been lucky enough to know came from countries where were much more repressive than ours, where to be stopped by the police was always a life threatening situation, no matter how minor the offense - if indeed there was any offense at all. When that has been your life's experience you aren't much inclined to violate laws no matter where you are. It carries over when they arrive here.

[madokie]

3. Our crime rate here in northeast Ok has gone down since Oklahoma's new imigration law

that went into effect last november. Let me put it this way, now when I read the morning paper each day, Tulsa World, there is no or very few stories anymore about robberies or murders or drug busts or what have you where the perpertrators are suspected illegal immigrants. Maybe the press is just covering it up or maybe it isn't happening as much, I don't know. I'm disabled now but I spent my whole work history, save for a few years, doing construction work and the hiring of illegals was killing me, or rather was driving our wages down. I fault no one for wanting to better themselves don't get me wrong but there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. Hurting the workers here is not the right way no matter what.

[Zavulon]

4. The study also says most immigrants are here legally, which is true.

But then it talks about "the politics of bigotry and fear." Of all the people I know, regardless of their position on illegals, not A SINGLE ONE OF THEM has a problem with LEGAL immigration. The use of the word "bigotry" here is ridiculous. The problem many people (including me) have is IMMIGRATION STATUS, not race / creed / color / nationality.

Places where there is a lot of ILLEGAL immigration DO experience higher crime rates. They also show depressed wages and a higher unemployment rate among people who are here legally. I live in just such a place and will be moving the second my lease expires.

If this study was supposed to make me happy to see more illegals pour in, it failed. I have no problem with people here legally. I do have a problem with illegals and will continue to object to their presence.