Many people worry about immigrants in the United States committing crimes, and the immigrants themselves often worry about the repercussions they may face if charged with a crime. Certainly, their immigration status could be negatively affected, and it is important to handle matters of crimmigration in New Jersey seriously. It is also important to understand the statistics relating to immigration and crime rates.
It was recently reported that during a speech, the president claimed that tens of thousands of crimes were carried out by undocumented immigrants. Unsurprisingly, he is hoping that his claims will boost support for his proposed border wall. However, it is unclear where he obtained those numbers because no national database exists for specifically counting crimes committed by individuals based on immigration status.
While concern still exists regarding undocumented immigrants and crime, one immigrant advocate pointed out that any demographic group will have individuals who have committed some type of crime. Currently, only one state keeps a database that compares committed crimes based on immigration status, and that information shows that crime rates among immigrants are lower than those who are native-born Americans. In fact, when that state compared homicides, 90 percent of homicides in the state were committed by native-born Americans and only 9.7 percent were committed by immigrants, documented or undocumented.
Of course, statistics may not mean much to an immigrant in New Jersey who has been accused of a crime. Individuals in this type of situation will still need to handle their crimmigration cases and understand available options. Fortunately, parties can gain legal help from knowledgeable professionals well-versed in criminal and immigration law.