Statement for the Senate Judiciary Committee on “Oversight of the Administration’s Misdirected Immigration Enforcement Policies: Examining the Impact on Public Safety and Honoring the Victims”

The American Immigration Council submitted a written statement to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for a July 21, 2015 hearing on “Oversight of the Administration’s Misdirected Immigration Enforcement Policies: Examining the Impact on Public Safety and Honoring the Victims.” The statement shares our research and analysis around immigration enforcement and the importance of implementing immigration reform policies that are rooted in empirical data. The statement highlights that immigrants are less likely to be serious criminals than the native-born and that high rates of immigration are associated with lower rates of violent crimes and property crimes. We also explain the legal implications of detainers and share our analysis regarding the failure of the “enforcement first” approach to immigration reform.