A Comparative Approach to Understanding the Immigration – Crime Link: Drug Arrests in San Antonio, TX and Brisbane, Australia

• In Event: Emerging Issues on Immigration, Crime and Justice

Abstract

Growing worldwide concern about the movement of immigrants and asylum seekers into western democratic nations highlights the consistent need to examine the link between immigration dynamics and the consequences for communities. Traditional criminological theories have consistently demonstrated the link between increased immigration and rising crime rates. It is also clear that immigrants are often vulnerable to crime as victims and are not necessarily offenders. The vast majority of this knowledge has stemmed from American research with a distinct history of immigration and distinct dynamic of immigrants within American neighbourhoods. The globalized concern over immigration necessitates more cross national comparative research to expand our understanding of the relationship between immigration and crime. We use comparative data from San Antonio, Texas, and Brisbane, Australia to examine the comparative relationships between immigration and drug arrests. Both cities have interesting but distinct immigration histories, and both have neighbourhood drug problems often thought to be brought with the disorganization that comes with the influx of immigrants. Our findings will highlight the importance of taking a nuanced approach to examining and measuring “immigration” in a comparative context.

Authors

• Suzanna Fay-Ramirez, The University of Queensland

• Ramiro Martinez, Northeastern University