Even as researchers find that the foreign-born commit fewer crimes than their native-born peers, the perception that immigrants are uniquely crime prone permeates public and political discourse. Of course the warnings and anxiety about “criminal immigrants” are nothing new. Unlike their U.S.-born peers, immigrants may conceal their offenses — even on anonymous surveys — for fear of deportation. In a recent study, we investigated whether immigrants have a greater tendency to underreport their offenses than native-born Americans. The finding that the foreign-born commit less crime than their U.S.-born peers is not a product of differences in reporting practices across these groups.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 06, 2016 11:01 UTC