Do American citizes commit violent crimes more per capita than immigrant illegals?
Yes, studies consistently show that undocumented immigrants commit violent crimes at lower per capita rates than U.S.-born citizens.
What the Data Shows
Multiple independent and government-backed studies have found that:
- Undocumented immigrants have lower offending rates than both U.S.-born citizens and documented immigrants for crimes such as assault, sexual assault, robbery, burglary, theft, and arson.
- A 2025 fact-check confirmed that immigrants—including undocumented ones—are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans.
- Research from the Migration Policy Institute and other sources shows that incarceration and prosecution rates for immigrants are consistently lower than for U.S.-born individuals.
Why the Misconception Persists
- Political rhetoric and media coverage often amplify isolated incidents involving undocumented immigrants.
- Public perception may be skewed by high-profile cases or fear-based narratives, despite the broader statistical reality.
Important Caveats
- These findings apply to violent and property crimes, not immigration-related offenses (e.g., unlawful entry).
- Crime rates can vary by region, enforcement practices, and socioeconomic factors, but the overall national trend is clear.
If you’d like, I can break down crime rates by state or explore how these trends have changed over time.
Hey moron most states including California do not classify crime as illegal lien crimes vs American citizen crimes. FORTUNATELY Texas does EVERY ONE of these crimes could have been prevented by sealing our border and sending them home when we find them.
From 2011 to date, the
Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has provided DPS with information on more than 34,000 individuals who were identified by DHS as in the country illegally while they were incarcerated at TDCJ. 11,000 of these individuals were not identified through the Secure Communities program at the time of their arrest. DPS does not know the current incarceration status of the individuals identified while they were incarcerated nor when their noncitizen status was initially determined. Over the course of their entire Texas criminal careers, these 11,000 individuals identified as illegal noncitizens while in prison, were charged with more than 50,000 criminal offenses which included arrests for
1,954 homicide charges; 5,994 assault charges; 3,547 burglary charges; 7,203 drug charges;
362 kidnapping charges; 2,827 theft charges; 3,952 obstructing police charges; 2,496 robbery charges;
3,305 sexual assault charges; 1,338 sexual offense charges; and 1,609 weapon charges. DPS criminal history records reflect those criminal charges have thus far resulted in over 27,000 convictions including
1,176 homicide convictions; 3,090 assault convictions; 1,947 burglary convictions; 4,152 drug convictions; 166 kidnapping convictions; 1,359 theft convictions; 1,789 obstructing police convictions; 1,691 robbery convictions; 2,173 sexual assault convictions; 846 sexual offense convictions; and 627 weapon convictions.
Over the course of their entire Texas criminal careers, these 330,000 illegal noncitizens were charged with more than 797,000 criminal offenses