Myths About Immigrant Crime

Contrary to popular myth, increased immigration does not lead to increased crime, even if the immigration is illegal. Census and other sources show that, for every ethnic group, incarceration rates among young men are lowest for immigrants. This pattern has been observed consistently over the last three decennial censuses, which cover an era of mass immigration to the U.S. Even among high-school dropouts, immigrants have lower incarceration rates than does the native-born population. However, the children of these immigrants often do not fare as well as their recently-immigrated parents. The maladjustment of the children of immigrants (i.e., second-generation immigrants) is primarily an issue of assimilation.

Typically, when a family of immigrants enters the United States, the adults are still firmly entrenched in their native cultures. They struggle with the challenges of obtaining English-language proficiency, higher levels of education, and new job skills. The children and grandchildren of these immigrants are often left without the direct supervision of their hard-working parents, caught between the old world of their parents and the pressures of new social forces in their new country. The members of the immigrant family then begin to lose touch with each other, becoming increasingly isolated from each other and disconnected from the society around them. Studies have shown that this disintegration of the family unit often leads to gang activity, drug and alcohol addiction, and an increased likelihood of criminal activity. Adult immigrants also face an increased rate of incarceration, divorce, and substance abuse; and the risk increases the longer they reside in the United States.

The increasing instances of criminal activity in Koreans who have been in the U.S. for 16 years or more, for instance, is 5 times greater than for new Korean immigrants. I use Korea as an example, as we grapple to understand the mass killings committed by a Korean-born student at Virginia Tech University in April, 2007.

Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people and wounded 25 others before committing suicide during a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech University. He was a South Korean who had moved to the U.S. at age eight, and was a lawful permanent resident. Cho’s father struggled as a self-employed bookstore owner in South Korea. He moved his wife and two children to the United States in 1992, in search of economic opportunity. Cho’s relatives in Korea were concerned about his behavior during his early childhood, apparently seeing signs of aberrant behavior Cho’s busy parents missed or overlooked. Although he appeared well-behaved, Cho would not talk or make eye contact with others. As a middle school and high school student in the U.S., Cho led an isolated existence and was tormented by fellow students because of his strangeness. Cho’s parents were unfamiliar with Western medicine and psychiatry, and Cho received only minimum psychiatric assessment. Following the ways of their native land, and believing Chos’ problems need to be solved by spiritual power, Cho’s parents took him to church, seeking deliverance for him from the demonic powers they believed possessed their son. However, before the church could start its work, Cho returned to Virginia Tech and focused his attention on preparations for the massacre.

Cho is an extreme example of failed assimilation. His story is a combination of tragic circumstances and numerous failures, including gaps in the mental health system and gun laws. In a last, albeit post-mortem, effort to be understood, Cho sent a package containing a CD to the New York headquarters of NBC News containing video clips, photographs, and a manifesto explaining the reasons for his actions.

Studies have shown that second-generation immigrant youth (i.e., those whose parents were born abroad) are significantly more prone to engage in delinquency, violence, and substance abuse than their first-generation immigrant parents are. Elaborate governmental procedures and safeguards are in place ostensibly to make sure that the right kinds of immigrants enter the country, but much less effort is expended to help the children of these immigrants successfully transition into American life.

About the author: Kathleen Lord-Black is a U.S. immigration lawyer.  Her offices are located in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has served as Immigration Consultant for the San Francisco Public Defenders Office, 2005 Chair of the Immigration Section of the Barristers Club of the Bar Association of San Francisco, and former Congressional liaison for U.S. Representative Farr. Ms. Lord-Black is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the American Civil Liberties Union. Her articles regularly appear in the Bay Area Arabic-language newspaper, Alra’i Alarabi. Ms. Lord-Black can be reached via email at kathleen@kathleenlord.com; and by telephone at (360) 329-2436 (U.S.) and (604) 352-2006 (Canada). Her web address is www.kathleenlord.com.