Illegal Migrants Less Likely to Commit Crime? Guess Again. | RealClearInvestigations
Like the member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua sentenced to life in prison last week for the murder of Laken Riley in Georgia, Hernandez s case is shining a light on the federal government s failure to properly vet and keep track of lawless migrants.
These gaps have led to broad claims that illegal immigrants have less involvement with the criminal justice system than native-born Americans. A review of the available data, however, shows that the criminal records of millions of migrants the ones President-elect Trump vows to prioritize for deportation remain unknown due to illegal crossings, lax enforcement, and lax data collection by federal and sanctuary jurisdictions.
In addition, an analysis of the available statistics by RealClearInvestigations suggests that the crime rate of noncitizens is vastly understated. A separate RCI analysis based on estimates developed by the U.S. Department of Justice s National Institute of Justice (NIJ) suggests that crime by illegal aliens who entered the U.S. by July 21, 2024 cost the country some $166.5 billion. These criminals disproportionately entered the U.S. during the Biden administration.