Immigration and Crime
Research has consistently shown that immigration does not increase crime rates in the United States and many studies suggest that immigrants are less likely than citizens to commit crimes. We work hard to promote the truth about immigration and its impact on public safety, and dispel popular misconceptions surrounding immigrant crime.

H.R. 32 Would Empower President to Cut Essential Services in States and Cities
Efforts to penalize so-called “sanctuary cities” are back. On his first day back in office, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) to explore denying federal funds to “sanctuary” jurisdictions and pursue… Read More

Misguided Laken Riley Act Does Nothing to Fix the Problems That Plague Our Immigration System
WASHINGTON, JAN. 22, 2025 — Today, the House voted in the final step for passing S. 5, legislation that will have devastating implications for many immigrants in the United States and our system of legal immigration alike. The bill eliminates due process for many immigrants, including some… Read More

Immigrants Do Not Commit More Crimes in the US, Despite Fearmongering
Written by Yared Avalos Iniguez, Communications Intern and Hannah Boyke, Research Intern Across… Read More

Debunking the Myth of Immigrants and Crime
Using Uniform Crime Reporting data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and population data from the U. S. Census Bureau, the Council created a report on the relationship between immigrants and crime. Read More

Common Tools of Statutory Construction for Criminal Removal Grounds
This practice advisory describes some of the common tools of statutory construction to assist practitioners in advocating for narrow definitions of generic criminal removal grounds before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and the U.S. courts of appeals. To determine whether a criminal conviction renders a noncitizen removable under federal… Read More

Practice Alert: Overview of the Supreme Court’s Decision in Pugin v. Garland
This practice advisory looks into the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court issued in Pugin v. Garland, 143 S. Ct. 1833 (2023). This immigration decision addressed the generic definition of the obstruction of justice aggravated felony ground at 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43)(S). Read More

Supreme Court Refuses to Narrow Criminal Grounds of Removability
In a split decision issued on June 22, the Supreme Court ruled against two noncitizens seeking to overturn agency findings that their state criminal convictions qualified as “aggravated felonies.” Under immigration law, an aggravated felony makes a noncitizen deportable. Their cases hinged on whether the definition of “obstruction of… Read More

Fact Check: Migrants Aren’t the Ones Smuggling Fentanyl Into the United States
There is no doubt that fentanyl is a major problem inside the United States. Over the last decade, rising availability of fentanyl has caused a spike in overdose deaths across the nation. In 2021, almost 90% of opioid overdose deaths were linked to fentanyl. The criminal networks that produce… Read More

California Law Would Prevent Transfers From Local Law Enforcement to ICE Custody
Proposed legislation in California that would further limit the state’s involvement in immigration detention has made progress toward becoming law. The VISION Act would prevent transfers to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody of people who are released from state or local custody. The bill passed the state assembly… Read More

The Supreme Court Limits the Crimes That Can Lead to Near-Automatic Deportation
The Supreme Court issued a decision last Thursday in a criminal case that will have an immediate impact on immigration law. The new decision set a limit on the types of crime that can be considered an “aggravated felony” ground for deportation. In Borden v. United States, a… Read More
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