The Generality of the Neighborhood Immigration and Crime Relationship: Official and Perceptual Measures

• In Event: Untangling the Macro-Contextual Link Between Immigration and Crime

Abstract

The growing literature on neighborhood immigration and crime tends to show a null or inverse relationship. But this literature is hindered by an over-reliance on homicide as the sole measure of crime and on Census data to capture variation in immigration. Using survey data as well as official measures, the present study assesses the neighborhood immigration-crime relationship across a range of different crime measures as well as with alternative measures of immigration. Findings show considerable variation in direction and magnitude depending on the measures used. The theoretical, empirical and political implications are discussed.

Authors

• Theodore Curry, University of Texas at El Paso

• Maria Cristina Morales, University of Texas at El Paso