Partially corroboratedLive story

How do immigrant crime rates compare with those of U.S.-born citizens?

Current evidence generally finds that immigrants, including in many studies unauthorized immigrants, commit crimes at lower rates than U.S.-born Americans, although the magnitude varies by crime type and dataset.

Where the claims stand

1 corroborated1 supported1 unverified1 contradicted

This story tracks the evidence comparing criminal offending and incarceration rates among immigrants and U.S.-born Americans. The evidence includes peer-reviewed research, government crime statistics, census data, and official analyses. Because "crime rate" can refer to arrests, convictions, incarceration, self-reported crime, or victimization—and because immigrants include both lawful and unauthorized immigrants—claims are evaluated separately where possible.

We'll only notify you when something material changes.

Additional information

Status

as of July 7, 2026

Partially corroborated

The overall evidence base has become relatively consistent over the past two decades. Numerous peer-reviewed studies using different datasets have found that immigrants, on average, are arrested, incarcerated, or convicted at lower rates than U.S.-born citizens. However, estimates vary depending on the population studied, crime type, geographic area, and methodology. Data on unauthorized immigrants are more difficult to measure because immigration status is not recorded uniformly across criminal justice datasets.

Confidence — current state

Multiple independent peer-reviewed studies using census records, criminal justice data, and state administrative records have consistently found lower overall offending or incarceration rates among immigrants than among U.S.-born citizens. This finding has been replicated using different methodologies and data sources. Importantly, lower average crime rates do not mean immigrants never commit serious crimes, nor do they imply that every immigrant subgroup has identical crime rates. Likewise, isolated high-profile crimes do not establish population-wide offending rates.

This is our best read given the published evidence we have reviewed — not a claim of absolute truth.

Open questions

How accurately can unauthorized immigrant crime rates be measured nationwide?
Immigration status is not consistently recorded in federal crime databases.
How do crime rates differ across immigrant generations?
Some research suggests first-generation and later-generation immigrants have different offending patterns.
How do socioeconomic factors explain observed differences?
Researchers continue to study the relative contributions of age, income, education, and community characteristics.

What would change our mind

Large nationally representative datasets consistently demonstrating higher offending rates among immigrants after controlling for demographic differences.
Independent peer-reviewed studies replicating substantially different findings across multiple jurisdictions.
Improved nationwide datasets directly measuring immigration status alongside criminal convictions.

Claims & evidence

Each claim is tracked separately — not a single verdict.

Multiple peer-reviewed studies have found that immigrants have lower overall crime rates than U.S.-born Americans.
Corroborated
Evidence basisPeer-reviewed · independently corroborated
- Peer-reviewedMay 1, 2018
  Does Undocumented Immigration Increase Violent Crime?
  Peer-reviewed study using multiple datasets reporting lower violent crime rates among immigrants than U.S.-born populations.
- Peer-reviewed
  The Integration of Immigrants into American Society
  Consensus report summarizing evidence that immigrants are generally less involved in crime than native-born Americans.
Texas administrative data have shown lower criminal conviction rates among both legal and unauthorized immigrants than among native-born citizens.
Supported
Evidence basisPeer-reviewed · independently corroborated
- Peer-reviewedDecember 7, 2020
  Comparing crime rates between undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants, and native-born US citizens in Texas
  Peer-reviewed study using Texas Department of Public Safety arrest records reporting lower felony arrest rates among undocumented immigrants than among native-born citizens.
- Other
  Criminal Immigrants in Texas: Illegal Immigrant Conviction and Arrest Rates for Homicide, Sex Crimes, Larceny, and Other Crimes, 2022
  Analysis using Texas conviction records reporting lower conviction rates among immigrant populations than among native-born citizens.
Immigrants do not commit serious violent crimes.
Contradicted
Evidence basisOfficial statement · single source
- Official statement
  Election Crime and Security
  Federal and state prosecutions include serious crimes committed by both immigrants and U.S.-born citizens.
Immigrants have higher violent crime rates than U.S.-born Americans.
Unverified
Evidence basisPeer-reviewed · single source
- Peer-reviewed
  The Integration of Immigrants into American Society
  The available evidence reviewed does not establish this general population-wide claim.

What this doesn’t establish

Claims commonly associated with this story that the available evidence does not establish. Confirming a narrow fact here is not confirmation of the broader narrative around it. As such, these claims are not included in the claims bar above.

Because immigrants have lower average crime rates, immigration cannot create any public safety concerns.
Contradicted
Evidence basisPeer-reviewed · single source
- Peer-reviewed
  The Integration of Immigrants into American Society
  Population averages do not determine the public safety implications of individual cases or local circumstances.
High-profile crimes committed by immigrants establish that immigrants have higher crime rates overall.
Contradicted
Evidence basisPeer-reviewed · single source
- Peer-reviewed
  Comparing crime rates between undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants, and native-born US citizens in Texas
  Population crime rates require representative datasets rather than individual cases.

How we got here

2 updates · append-only

New evidenceDecember 7, 2020
Texas PNAS study on immigrant conviction rates
A peer-reviewed study using Texas administrative records reported lower felony arrest rates among undocumented immigrants than among native-born citizens.
What changed
- State administrative data: Limited jurisdiction-specific evidence Texas PNAS study published
New evidenceSeptember 21, 2015
National Academies report on immigrant integration
A National Academies consensus report summarized evidence that immigrants are generally less involved in crime than native-born Americans.
What changed
- Immigration-crime synthesis: Fragmented single studies National Academies consensus report published

Suggest a source

Point us to a primary source or a publisher correction. Sign in to submit — every suggestion is reviewed by a human before anything changes.

Confidence last reviewed July 7, 2026. Updates are append-only; nothing here is edited silently.