The Myth of Immigrant Criminality and the Paradox of Assimilation:

[peezey 0]

Immigration Policy Center

by Rubén G. Rumbaut, Ph.D.

and Walter A. Ewing, Ph.D.

Because many immigrants to the United States, especially Mexicans and Central Americans, are young men who arrive with very low levels of formal education, popular stereotypes tend to associate them with higher rates of crime and incarceration. The fact that many of these immigrants enter the country through unauthorized channels or overstay their visas often is framed as an assault against the “rule of law,” thereby reinforcing the impression that immigration and criminality are linked. This association has flourished in a post-9/11 climate of fear and ignorance where terrorism and undocumented immigration often are mentioned in the same breath.

But anecdotal impression cannot substitute for scientific evidence. In fact, data from the census and other sources show that for every ethnic group without exception, incarceration rates among young men are lowest for immigrants, even those who are the least educated. This holds true especially for the Mexicans, Salvadorans, and Guatemalans who make up the bulk of the undocumented population. What is more, these patterns have been observed consistently over the last three decennial censuses, a period that spans the current era of mass immigration, and recall similar national-level fi ndings reported by three major government commissions during the fi rst three decades of the 20th century. The problem of crime in the United States

is not “caused” or even aggravated by immigrants, regardless of their legal status. But the misperception that the opposite is

true persists among policymakers, the media, and the general public, thereby undermining the development of reasoned

public responses to both crime and immigration.

[Addie_Goodvibes 0]

Causes of Terrorism

Dominance of territory or resources by various ethnic groups

Imposition of a particular form of government,

Economic deprivation of a population

Opposition to a domestic government

12 al-Qaeda operatives involved in 9/11 were illegal aliens proven to have Illegally crossed the Southern Border

True Impact of Illegal Immigration

Over 20 million Illegal Immigrants in our country

$397,000,000,000 + cost of social services for Illegal Immigrants in the past 10 years

over 640,000 Illegal Immigrant FUGITIVES potential Terrorists!

13,000,000,000 + education cost for illega,l immigranst K-12 -- Our Legal / US Citizen childrens Education suffers

1,000,000 + Reported Sex crimes commited by illegal Immigrants

[Fandango 1,440]

Addie you are seriously workin those figures from that link I posted...I think everyone has seen them now, lol

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Causes of Terrorism

Dominance of territory or resources by various ethnic groups

Imposition of a particular form of government,

Economic deprivation of a population

Opposition to a domestic government

12 al-Qaeda operatives involved in 9/11 were illegal aliens proven to have Illegally crossed the Southern Border

True Impact of Illegal Immigration

Over 20 million Illegal Immigrants in our country

$397,000,000,000 + cost of social services for Illegal Immigrants in the past 10 years

over 640,000 Illegal Immigrant FUGITIVES potential Terrorists!

13,000,000,000 + education cost for illega,l immigranst K-12 -- Our Legal / US Citizen childrens Education suffers

1,000,000 + Reported Sex crimes commited by illegal Immigrants

Can we afford not to build a wall?

[Addie_Goodvibes 0]

Addie you are seriously workin those figures from that link I posted...I think everyone has seen them now, lol

My Source is from the link below

Immigration Studies

& from Center for Immigration Studies

Causes of Terrorism

Dominance of territory or resources by various ethnic groups

Imposition of a particular form of government,

Economic deprivation of a population

Opposition to a domestic government

12 al-Qaeda operatives involved in 9/11 were illegal aliens proven to have Illegally crossed the Southern Border

True Impact of Illegal Immigration

Over 20 million Illegal Immigrants in our country

$397,000,000,000 + cost of social services for Illegal Immigrants in the past 10 years

over 640,000 Illegal Immigrant FUGITIVES potential Terrorists!

13,000,000,000 + education cost for illega,l immigranst K-12 -- Our Legal / US Citizen childrens Education suffers

1,000,000 + Reported Sex crimes commited by illegal Immigrants

Can we afford not to build a wall?

Can we afford Not to Build a wall, Not to deport, not to enforce our own laws. Not to allow amnesty to criminals who illegally entered our country and intentionally violated federal laws the minute they stepped onto USA Soil.

Assisting or encouraging aliens to come to the United States is also a violation of the Federal law. They are criminals and should be treated as such.

Edited February 27, 2007 by Addie_Goodvibes

[Alex+R 0]

everyone knows that's a right-wing think tank

[mawilson 2,133]

everyone knows that's a right-wing think tank

I thought it was the right wing that was pro-amnesty, with President Bush at the head.

[Ban Hammer 14,299]

everyone knows that's a right-wing think tank

and right wing = wrong, right?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Myth: MOST IMMIGRANTS CROSS THE BORDER ILLEGALLY

FACT: Around 75% of todays immigrants have legal permanent (immigrant) visas; of the 25% that are undocumented, 40% overstayed temporary (non-immigrant) visas. Undocumented immigrants estimated to be less than 2% of the US population.

(Source: Department of Homeland Security (http://uscis.gov/graphics/shared/statistics/index.htm)

FACT: From 1986 to 1998, the Border Patrols budget increased six-fold and the number of agents stationed on our southwest border doubled to 8,500. The Border Patrol also toughened its enforcement strategy, heavily fortifying typical urban entry points and pushing migrants into dangerous desert areas, in hopes of deterring crossings. Instead, the undocumented immigrant population doubled in that timeframe, to 8 milliondespite the legalization of nearly 3 million immigrants after the enactment of the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986. Insufficient legal avenues for immigrants to enter the U.S., compared with the number of jobs in need of workers, has significantly contributed to this current conundrum.

(Source: Immigration and Naturalization website: http://www.ncjrs.org/ondcppubs/publication...der/ins_3.html)

Myth: THE WAR ON TERRORISM CAN BE WON WITH IMMIGRANT RESTRICTIONS

FACT: No security expert since September 11th, 2001 has said that restrictive immigration measures would have prevented the terrorist attacksinstead, the key is effective use of good intelligence. Most of the 9/11 hijackers were here on legal visas. Since 9/11, the myriad of measures targeting immigrants in the name of national security have netted no terrorism prosecutions. In fact, several of these measures could have the opposite effect and actually make us less safe, as targeted communities of immigrants are afraid to come forward with information.

(Source: Associated Press/Dow Jones Newswires, US Senate Subcommittee Hears Immigration Testimony, Oct. 17, 2001.)

(Source: Cato Institute: Dont Blame Immigrants for Terrorism, Daniel Griswold, Assoc. Director of Cato Institutes Center for Trade Policy Studies (see: http://www.cato.org/dailys/10-23-01.html)

Note: Cato Institute IS a Conservative Think Tank.

Edited February 27, 2007 by Steven_and_Jinky

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Steven,

What's so wrong about requiring people to enter a country legally? I just don't get it.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Steven,

What's so wrong about requiring people to enter a country legally? I just don't get it.

Nothing. The circumstances and the situation surrounding illegal immigration from south of our border is complex and is not so simple to remedy. There are those who see no difference between a Mexican national being here illegally vs. say an Armenian. IMO, they are radically different.

[mawilson 2,133]

Nothing. The circumstances and the situation surrounding illegal immigration from south of our border is complex and is not so simple to remedy. There are those who see no difference between a Mexican national being here illegally vs. say an Armenian. IMO, they are radically different.

What's the difference (except that they lucked out on having a land border with the U.S.)?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I'm curious as to how many of those who keep ranting over illegal immigration from south of the border know the historical relationship the US has with Mexico?

Brief but important historical facts...

During the early 1800's, the westward expansion of the United States alarmed the Spanish colonial governors. These officials restricted trade between the United States and the northern colonial provinces of New Mexico, Texas, and California. By so doing, they hoped to avoid a heavy flow of American settlers into the sparsely populated colonies.

Mexican independence and free trade

The abundant resources of California attracted many American settlers in the 1830's and 1840's. The United States was already considering ways of acquiring California as a territory. The Californios enjoyed the benefits of their trade with the United States and saw advantages to becoming a U.S. territory. The Mexican government neglected its northern territories, and many Californios resented the interference of government officials from Mexico City.

Texas had by far the smallest population of any of the northern Mexican territories, and the Mexican government's hold on Texas was weak. In January 1821, American merchant Moses Austin received permission from Spanish authorities in Mexico to settle 300 Americans in Texas. The project eventually passed into the hands of Austin's son, Stephen Fuller Austin. Instead of being limited to 300 settlers, however, the American settlement of Texas swelled to thousands of people. In 1836, Texas won its independence from Mexico and became a republic.

Conflict with the United States

In 1845, the United States annexed Texas. In response, the Mexican government broke off relations with the United States. Texas claimed territory as far south as the Rio Grande, but Mexico disputed the claim, saying that Texas' southwest border was the Nueces River. These and other events led to the Mexican War (1846-1848) between the United States and Mexico. The United States won the war. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war, awarded the United States the territory that now makes up the states of California, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico and Arizona, and part of Colorado and Wyoming. This vast area was home to approximately 80,000 Mexicans, most of whom were granted U.S. citizenship.

Immigration in the early 1900's

In 1900, the total Mexican-American population was estimated to be between 380,000 and 560,000. The early 1900's saw a sharp increase in the number of Mexican immigrants as economic conditions in Mexico worsened. In 1910, the Mexican Revolution broke out. This conflict plummeted Mexico into years of political and economic chaos. The revolution also sparked a tremendous wave of immigration that continued until the 1930's.

Between 1910 and 1930, more than 680,000 Mexicans came to live in the United States. During the 1920's, Mexicans accounted for more than 10 per cent of all immigration to the United States. Most Mexicans fleeing the Mexican Revolution settled in the Southwest, where they took jobs in factories and mines or on railroads, farms, and ranches.

In 1917, the United States entered World War I (1914-1918), and thousands of Mexican Americans volunteered for service in the U.S. armed forces. The wartime economy also provided new opportunities for Mexican Americans. Some were able to move into better-paying, skilled occupations in construction and in the war industries.

Despite these gains, Mexican Americans continued to suffer discrimination in jobs, wages, and housing. To fight these conditions, they organized labor unions and took part in strikes to obtain higher wages and better working conditions. Mexican Americans also formed civic groups to deal with their problems. In 1929, the major groups merged to form the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

Immigration restrictions

In 1917, the United States passed a law requiring all adult immigrants to be able to read and write at least one language. In 1924, the U.S. Bureau of Immigration established the Border Patrol to control illegal immigration across the Mexican-U.S. border. Strict enforcement of the 1917 adult literacy law led to a decline in Mexican immigration in the late 1920's. This decline continued through the Great Depression--the economic hard times of the 1930's--when only about 33,000 Mexicans entered the United States.

The 1930's brought heightened discrimination against Mexican Americans. Many people viewed them as a drain on the American economy because they held many low-paying jobs while other, "true" Americans went unemployed. In response to such angry views, the U.S. and Mexican governments cosponsored a repatriation program that returned thousands of Mexican immigrants to Mexico.

Growing discrimination

The program was intended to encourage people to return voluntarily to Mexico, but thousands were deported against their wishes. Many of these immigrants had lived in the United States for more than 10 years. Their American-born children were U.S. citizens. In some cases, adults who were deported were U.S. citizens who were mistakenly or intentionally forced to leave their country. In California especially, many Mexican Americans were placed in detention camps, where they were mistreated by government officials. Of the approximately 3 million people of Mexican descent living in the United States in 1930, about 500,000 had been repatriated by 1939. The repatriation program created much anger and resentment among Mexican Americans. Family relationships were often strained because young people who had been born in the United States did not want to go to Mexico.

In addition to the humiliation of repatriation, Mexican Americans suffered other forms of discrimination. Many restaurants refused to serve Mexican Americans. Public swimming pools, rest rooms, drinking fountains, and theaters were often segregated. Mexican-American schoolchildren were often forbidden to speak Spanish in schools and were sometimes punished severely for doing so.

http://www.worldbook.com/features/cinco/html/immigration.htm

...

Point being that we've had a history of a rather open immigration policy with Mexico. At least can everybody here accept that fact? Regardless of whatever changes to our immigration we need to make, it's important to keep that in mind.

[pedroh 21]

"Of the approximately 3 million people of Mexican descent living in the United States in 1930, about 500,000 had been repatriated by 1939. The repatriation program created much anger and resentment among Mexican Americans. Family relationships were often strained because young people who had been born in the United States did not want to go to Mexico.

In addition to the humiliation of repatriation, Mexican Americans suffered other forms of discrimination. Many restaurants refused to serve Mexican Americans. Public swimming pools, rest rooms, drinking fountains, and theaters were often segregated. Mexican-American schoolchildren were often forbidden to speak Spanish in schools and were sometimes punished severely for doing so. "

yeap, that's why the ICE raids are not a good method of 'catching illegals'... while authorities claim the Swift plant raid in GA was a success, they don't mention all those cases where they also went into Mex-Am citizens withouth a warrant, just because they had latino names..

the profiling techniques haven't improved a lot, they will still stop and humilliate someone with a latino name or if they look latinos, just cuz..

[peejay 327]

Point being that we've had a history of a rather open immigration policy with Mexico. At least can everybody here accept that fact? Regardless of whatever changes to our immigration we need to make, it's important to keep that in mind.

So you are saying in 2007 that Mexicans have some sort of special right to illegally immigrate? I still don't get it. And I don't accept or agree with that position.