{"id":2283696,"date":"2024-06-26T05:22:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T09:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/migrant-crime-grows-as-campaign-issue-but-is-there-an-actual-spike-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-06-26T05:27:07","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T09:27:07","slug":"migrant-crime-grows-as-campaign-issue-but-is-there-an-actual-spike-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/migrant-crime-grows-as-campaign-issue-but-is-there-an-actual-spike-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Migrant crime grows as campaign issue \u2014 but is there an actual spike? &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmigrant-crime-grows-as-campaign-issue-but-is-there-an-actual-spike-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2283696&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Republicans \u2063are using a spate \u200cof high-profile murders committed by\u2064 migrants\u200b to criticize President Joe\u2062 Biden \u2064for a perceived increase in migrant-related crime, despite a lack of comprehensive data \u200dconfirming a nationwide trend. Advocates for migrants \u200dargue that immigrants\u200b are statistically less likely \u200dto commit crimes than \u2063U.S. \u2064natives,\u200b citing research that opposes the\u200b notion of a migrant crime \u200dwave. The Republicans, bolstered by media coverage of violent incidents\u2062 involving migrants, claim that the\u2063 number of &#8220;criminal aliens&#8221; apprehended\u200c at the border has increased, coinciding with a rise in border\u2063 crossings.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amnesty-lobby-bbb-will-fix-joe-bidens-inflation-by-cutting-voters-wages\/\" title=\"Amnesty Lobby: BBB Will Fix Joe Biden's Inflation by Cutting Voters' Wages\">migrant advocacy groups<\/a> counter these claims\u200c by labeling them as scare tactics and pointing to statistics that indicate \u200da\u200d decline in the national crime rate following a spike during the COVID-19 \u2064pandemic. They emphasize the lack of reliable data due to \u200dthe\u2062 non-reporting of citizenship status by most states when recording crimes. The\u200b debate has been intensified by statements from Republican figures who blame Biden\u2019s immigration policies for these issues, and a new website has been launched to\u200d monitor migrant\u2063 crimes in real-time, though its efficacy and accuracy are debatable given the acknowledged data limitations.<\/p>\n<p>In the midst of this \u2062political conflict, \u2064law enforcement and right-leaning\u2063 groups assert an uptick in migrant\u200b crime, relying mostly on anecdotal evidence rather than concrete statistics, while numerous studies and experts \u2064advocate\u200c a more nuanced approach to understanding the complex factors driving crime rates, beyond just immigration status.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Republicans are pointing to a series of high-profile murders to argue that President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a> is overseeing a wave of migrant crime as data on whether there is a true uptick nationally are hard to come by.<\/p>\n<p>Migrant advocates have long noted that illegal immigrants are less likely to commit crime than U.S. citizens, citing long-standing <a href=\"https:\/\/siepr.stanford.edu\/news\/mythical-tie-between-immigration-and-crime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>research<\/a> on incarceration rates. But the highly covered deaths of several Americans, amplified by Republicans in the run-up to the election, have brought the issue to the forefront of many voters\u2019 minds.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2963260\/wray-fbi-tracking-venezuelan-migrant-gang-following-laken-riley-murder\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>murder <\/a>of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley earlier this year became so politically explosive that Biden mentioned her at his State of the Union, while last week, Oklahoma police <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3053568\/rachel-morin-mother-murder-deeply-touched-trump-phone-call\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>arrested<\/a> a Venezuelan illegal immigrant believed to have brutally killed Rachel Morin, a mother of five in Maryland, last summer.<\/p>\n<p>Other incidents, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/06\/04\/us\/undocumented-migrant-nypd-shooting-ice\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>attacks<\/a> on New York police plus sexual assaults and murders against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/netflix-asks-federal-court-to-stop-texas-cuties-child-pornography-case\/\" title=\"Netflix Asks Federal Court to Stop Texas 'Cuties' Child Pornography Case\">pre-teen girls<\/a> and single women in <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/06\/24\/us-news\/jocelyn-nungaray-murder-suspect-gets-10m-bond\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Texas<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/3051196\/illegal-immigrant-iowa-pleads-guilty-sexually-assaulting-12-girl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Iowa<\/a>, have also attracted media coverage this month.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats frame the focus as a matter of scare-mongering. On the campaign trail, former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> has claimed that countries are emptying their jail cells and insane asylums as a large influx of migrants entered the United States, while congressional Republicans have introduced a series of bills to address the deaths.<\/p>\n<p>However, right<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mark-zuckerberg-helped-bankroll-a-soros-backed-group-that-may-have-illegally-failed-to-disclose-lobbying\/\" title=\"Mark Zuckerberg Helped Bankroll a Soros-Backed Group That May Have Illegally Failed to Disclose Lobbying\">-leaning immigration groups<\/a> and some in law enforcement insist there is an uptick in crime, even as they acknowledge a lack of statistics to paint a trend. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnecdotally, yes, it\u2019s up,\u201d a spokesperson for the National Association of Police Organizations said, declining to comment further in an email on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Conservatives point to a rise in the number of criminal aliens apprehended at the southern border. As the number of border crossings has risen, reaching a new high in December, so have those with a conviction, either in the U.S. or abroad.<\/p>\n<p>That figure spiked to about 10,800 in fiscal 2021, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbp.gov\/newsroom\/stats\/cbp-enforcement-statistics\/criminal-noncitizen-statistics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according to<\/a> data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and registered at nearly 15,300 in 2023. So far in 2024, the number stands at 13,100.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>This image from video provided by the Office of the Manhattan District Attorney, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, shows the brawl between New York City Police Department officers and migrants in Times Square, Jan. 27, 2024. (Manhattan District Attorney via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But there is no way to quantify criminal immigrants who entered the country undetected, while crime data are dependent on cities recording the citizenship status of those in prison and then providing that information to the federal government, which 49 states do not do.<\/p>\n<p>Migrant advocacy groups also note that the crime rate has fallen nationally following a rise during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the high number of border crossings.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans have been quick to point to Biden\u2019s decision to undo multiple Trump-era immigration policies upon assuming office, despite a recent tack to the right on the border, as the cause for the crisis. But they\u2019ve also sought to blame the president directly for instances of crime. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are seeing an increasing number of shocking and wanton acts of violence and depravity on a consistent basis. The tragic cases of Americans like Kate Steinle and Molly Tibbetts used to be the exception, but on Biden and Mayorkas\u2019 watch, they\u2019ve become the rule,\u201d Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), the chairman of the House Homeland Security, said in a statement. \u201cThis should come as no surprise given the historic number of people allowed into this country, most of whom have not been adequately screened or vetted by DHS law enforcement \u2014 and there\u2019s no end in sight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A new website that debuted on Monday aims to track migrant crime in real time. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.illegalaliencrimes.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>IllegalAlienCrimes.com<\/a> includes a map with state-by-state and county-by-county data on incidents that have occurred nationwide since Biden took office.<\/p>\n<p>The website was funded and created by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.restorationofamerica.com\/restoration-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Restoration of America<\/a>, a site developed by Army veteran and 2014 Illinois Senate candidate Doug Truax. Senior investigative researcher Vicky Manning said in a call Monday that the site was meant to make it easier for the public to see how migrant crime affected communities nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>However, there is no \u201cnational clearinghouse for immigration statistics,\u201d noted Eric Ruark, the research director of conservative nonprofit group NumbersUSA, who maintained that anecdotal evidence supports the idea that migrant crime is on the rise.<\/p>\n<p>Green added that because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sanctuary-cities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>sanctuary cities<\/a>, places that will not turn over illegal immigrants in local jails to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/soros-backed-philadelphia-da-considered-helping-non-citizens-accused-of-rape-murder-avoid-deportation-records-show\/\" title=\"Soros-Backed Philadelphia DA Considered Helping Non-Citizens Accused Of Rape, Murder Avoid Deportation, Records Show\">federal immigration authorities<\/a> for deportation, do not inquire about immigration status at the time of arrest, it is \u201cimpossible to determine the true illegal alien crime rate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several migrant advocacy groups and think tanks have treated the idea that immigrants are fueling a crime wave with a heavy dose of skepticism.<\/p>\n<p>The Immigrant\u00a0Legal\u00a0Resource\u00a0Center in Washington declined to comment on the present situation but pointed to two studies by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brennancenter.org\/our-work\/analysis-opinion\/debunking-myth-migrant-crime-wave?gad_source=1&#038;gclid=CjwKCAjwydSzBhBOEiwAj0XN4IYuSd7sU1oQKu84RwW9orjkQAWBd7jOBLK6fsofUeRJccv3VJ81ChoCPy0QAvD_BwE&#038;ms=gad_immigrant%20crime%20stats_700983500566_8628877148_163578260112\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Brennan Center for Justice<\/a> and Stanford University\u2019s Institute of Economic Policy Research.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe factors that drive crime rates are\u00a0extraordinarily complex\u00a0and can rarely be reduced to one cause,\u201d the Brennan Center report stated. \u201cPolicymakers should refrain from blaming immigrants as a group for increased crime where data does not substantiate those claims.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The latter report found immigrants in the U.S. between 1850 and 2020 were less likely to be imprisoned than U.S. citizens. <\/p>\n<p>Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the Washington-based American Immigration Council said anecdotal information on crime was not factual and any increase in news headlines may only be because the media is paying more attention to the issue, not because more migrants are being arrested on criminal charges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGiven the attention the Trump campaign has been paying to the issue, some incidents which may not have made national media in previous years have been elevated into the national discourse (for example, low-level offenses such as fights or petit larceny),\u201d Reichlin-Melnick, AIC policy director, said. \u201cAs a result, it\u2019s hard to say even anecdotally whether these offenses are happening more often, or simply whether the media is paying more attention to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"HTTPS:\/\/WWW.WASHINGTONEXAMINER.COM\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we do know is that the data shows that violent crime is falling in most locations across the country. If migrants were bringing a special level of criminality, then you would expect to see a spike in crime in areas with more migrants. But that is not happening,\u201d Reichlin-Melnick added. \u201cCrime rates have continued to fall even in locations which have received tens of thousands of migrants. For example, New York City\u2019s \u2018major crimes\u2019 rate today is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox5ny.com\/news\/nyc-crime-rates-stats-numbers-spring-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>lower than it was a year ago<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The White House declined to comment when asked whether the president\u2019s border policies had affected public safety and pointed the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> to the Biden campaign. The Biden campaign did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republicans claim President Joe Biden is responsible for a surge in migrant crime, citing recent high-profile murders. However, national data confirming an uptick is scarce. Migrant advocates counter that illegal immigrants are statistically less likely to commit crimes than U.S. citizens<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2655,"featured_media":2283697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/biden-migrant-crime-rising-1.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[32781,32780,7516,32076],"class_list":["post-2283696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-campaign-issue","tag-migrant-crime","tag-spike","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/biden-migrant-crime-rising-1.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2283696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2655"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2283696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2283696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2283697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2283696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2283696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2283696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}