VIOLENT CRIME

Except for when an illegal alien does something really horrific, such as when illegal aliens killed Denver Police Officer Don Young and Los Angeles County Deputy David March, or when one  dragged his girlfriend to death behind his car, we rarely hear about the crime being committed specifically by illegal aliens. 

There are a number of reasons why.  A large part of the reason is that the overwhelming majority of the MSM generally believe that illegal immigration is a “victimless crime” and, as such, it is not worthy to do any real reporting on.  Some more is due to the fact that illegal aliens are often silent on family violence and afraid to report crime within their communities leaving much of the crime totally unreported.  It is also due to the fact that the MSM rarely make any distinction between crimes committed by US citizen perpetrators and illegal alien perpetrators.  In fact, they seem to go out of their way to not let us know.  Then too, the FBI and Justice Dept. just don’t track it.

As much as I do not like siding with the MSM, in their defense, establishing the residency of a perpetrator often takes much longer and with the ever decreasing news cycles there is just no time to check and get it confirmed.  The end result is that most crimes being committed by illegal aliens are simply not reported as being committed by an illegal alien because by the time the perpetrator’s residency is actually identified it is usually “old news.”  However, that does not excuse the MSM from reporting the facts in high profile cases where there are numerous follow-on stories.  Nor does it excuse them from doing investigative reporting on the collective number of crimes being committed.

While the murders of Officer Young and Deputy March and the recent horrific dragging death were national news, few know about illegal alien Cornelio Rivera Zamites molesting and then strangling to death four year old Esmerelda Nava.  Yet such horrible things are fairly common and are happening more and more frequently. 

Putting things in their proper perspective, most crime is actually down and since 1993 violent crime has been sharply trending down, except for the last few years with a notable up-tick in 2006, which may or may not be attributable to illegal aliens.  As we’ll see latter, NOBODY really knows – or at least they aren’t saying. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The overall favorable results are mostly due to a corresponding “get tough” policy with its increased expenditures.  This has resulted in a large increase in the adult correctional population, over the same time period, especially for violent crimes, and also includes a dramatic surge in the number of illegal aliens incarcerated. 

As we continue to look at the violent crime being committed by illegal aliens, keep the steep rise of incarcerated violent prisoners in mind and note that the slope of the curve increases after 1989. 

As noted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, State prison population by offense type, “Over half of the increase in State prison population since 1995 is due to an increase in the prisoners convicted of violent offenses.”

In any case, despite what the MSM reports, or doesn’t report as the case may be, a correlation between illegal aliens and crime can be gleaned from comparing a National Index Crime Rate map with a map of the percentage of the unauthorized population as a the total foreign-born population in the state. 

 

Note that if California was split in two, southern California would probably be in the top category as well. 

 

Chart of the estimated unauthorized population as a % of the total foreign-born population, from the Hew Hispanic Center – Unauthorized Migrants: Numbers and Characteristics

Regarding the increased crime fighting expenses referenced a few paragraphs earlier, since the early 1980s there have been massive increases in expenditures as reported by the Justice Department as detailed in the following charts.  Also note that the slope of the curve for expenditures for police increases after 1989.

   

Charts from US Dept of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics

 

How much of that is consequence of illegal alien crimes is largely unknown because NOBODY IS TRACKING IT.  However, we do know that a large portion of the surging prison population is due to illegal alien criminals – a subject addressed later in this section.  Comparing the previous charts, note the correlation with the massive increase in the illegal alien population since 1989.

 

Chart from Hew Hispanic Center – Unauthorized Migrants: Numbers and Characteristics

At this point it is worth noting that the Hew Hispanic Center uses rather conservative numbers, as does the Census Bureau.  There are strong indications that the numbers are actually far higher.  The Wall Street investment firm Bear Stearns published a report, The Underground Labor Force is Rising to the Surface, in January 2005 which claims that the illegal alien population is double the official government estimates and was closer to 20 million, at that time.

In October, 2006, Virginia Deane Abernethy, Ph.D. and Chairman of the Population-Environment Balance of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine published a report, Census Bureau Distortions Hide Immigration Crisis - Real Numbers Much Higher where she claims that “7.2 million aliens enter illegally each year” and notes that the “Census Bureau is a willing participant to misinforming the public on the state of the nation.”  Information from US Border Report – Migration Across the Mexican Border also supports much higher numbers.

Regardless, if either alternative estimate is correct, even partially, the correlation would be even stronger.

In any case, while a notable percentage of illegal aliens are committing a lot of crime, as we shall soon see, it must be stressed that the vast majority of illegal aliens are decent people who work hard and are only trying to make a better life for themselves and their families, something you or I would probably do if we were in their place.  With the exception of ID theft, for most illegal aliens their only crime is breaking the immigration laws of the United States and being in the country illegally. 

Nevertheless, it is also fact that a disproportionately high percentage of illegal aliens are criminals and sexual predators.  That is part of the dark side of illegal immigration and when we simply allow the “good’ in we get the “bad” along with them.  Ignoring the fact that just being an illegal alien already makes one a criminal, the question is, how much really “bad” is acceptable and what price are we willing to pay in terms of the collateral damage being inflicted by simply allowing all of them in?

This section will concentrate on VIOLENT CRIME committed by illegal aliens against people.  The following section will detail the SEXUAL CRIME being committed by illegal aliens.  While most sexual crime is violent as well, there is just too much horrific crime being committed by illegal aliens to cover it all in one section.  In any case, I do not mean to minimize the tremendous devastation upon Americans and society in general from a significant number of additional property and other crimes being committed by illegal aliens.

As an example of a rapidly growing crime that has a high illegal alien participation, causing many months if not years of misery for the victim, see the GAO’s report IDENTITY FRAUD – Prevalence and Links to Illegal Alien Activity, as well as Identity Theft is a Serious Immigration Issue and Illegal Aliens Steal Identities To Get American Jobs.  

If you happened to be the victim of identity theft by an illegal alien you probably don’t think it was a “victimless” crime.  If you haven’t been the victim of ID theft but would like to know what the fuss is all about, see: 10-year-old girl victim of ID theft,  Two women, one ID and plenty of problems,  As victim of identity theft, I wish several things would happen,  and  Illicit Use of Social Security Information Rises.  Also note Faye Bowers’ article in the Christian Science Monitor, An Illegal Immigration Link to Identity Theft, to see how easy and cheap it is to get the documents stealing YOUR identification.

Additionally, there is a plethora of other criminal activities with a high illegal alien participation, including such crimes involving cocaine,  methamphetamine,  home invasion,  auto insurance fraud,  life insurance fraud,  food stamp fraud,  mortgage fraud,  auto theft, drug trafficking,  prostitution, more prostitution,  and, of course, counterfeiting documents.

As we will see, many illegal aliens are not just your casual immigration violating, ID theft and fraud committing, law breaker.  Many are recidivists – a.k.a. career criminals, like Juan Leonardo Quintero, who was previously deported after being convicted of indecency with a child, but who later came back and then just recently killed a Houston cop in cold blood, leaving a widow and five now fatherless children. 

Keep “previously deported” in mind as you will be seeing that reference a lot in this paper.

Also, many crimes are gang related with the growing Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang being notoriously brutal in carrying out its criminal activities – a topic independently covered in the GANG CRIMES section.

As detailed by Edwin Rubenstein in Criminal Alien Nation, criminal illegal aliens are a growing threat.  In summary, he reports:

In 1980, our Federal and state facilities held fewer than 9,000 criminal aliens but at the end of 2003, approximately 267,000 illegal aliens were incarcerated in U.S. correctional facilities, as follows

·   46,000 in Federal prisons

·   74,000 in state prisons

·   147,000 in local jails

The article also notes that approximately 27% of all prisoners in Federal custody are criminal illegal aliens and the majority (63%) of those are Mexican citizens.  However, the large Mexican component is mostly due to the fact that the majority of illegal aliens are from Mexico and the incarceration rate is only slightly above the Mexican representation (~57%) of the illegal aliens in the overall illegal alien population, although a more recent crossing analysis indicates a much higher Mexican content.  

The article goes on to state that in fiscal 2004, the Federal govt. spent $1.4 billion to incarcerate criminal aliens.  This total included $280 million of reimbursements made to state and local governments under the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program [SCAAP] - a Department of Justice program managed by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) - but SCAAP funds cover less than 25% of the full cost of incarcerating criminal aliens, leaving the balance of 75% to be picked up by the local jurisdiction. 

It is worth noting that all the incarceration costs are ultimately paid for by the taxpayers.  Throughout this paper, it is worth noting the costs being imposed on society for illegal aliens as you will see that the costs will continue to accumulate, often dramatically so.  It is also worth noting that with proper border security and immigration enforcement there would be few illegal aliens in the country and little of those costs would have been incurred, thus allowing a cost-benefit analysis.

On May 9, 2005, the GAO issued a report, number GAO-05-337R, entitled Information on Criminal Aliens Incarcerated in Federal and State Prisons and Local Jails, prepared for the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims.  It noted:

“At the federal level, the number of criminal aliens incarcerated increased from about 42,000 at the end of calendar year 2001 to about 49,000 at the end of calendar year 2004--a 15 percent increase.  The percentage of all federal prisoners who are criminal aliens has remained the same over the last 3 years--about 27 percent.  The majority of criminal aliens incarcerated at the end of calendar year 2004 were identified as citizens of Mexico.  We estimate the federal cost of incarcerating criminal aliens--BOP's cost to incarcerate criminals and reimbursements to state and local governments under SCAAP--totaled approximately $5.8 billion for calendar years 2001 through 2004.  BOP's cost to incarcerate criminal aliens rose from about $950 million in 2001 to about $1.2 billion in 2004--a 14 percent increase.”

And interestingly notes:

“Federal reimbursements for incarcerating criminal aliens in state prisons and local jails declined from $550 million in 2001 to $280 million in 2004, in a large part due to a reduction in congressional appropriations.”

This illustrates the failings of your government as the Federal Government is responsible for securing the borders but allows more and more illegal aliens to violate the sovereignty of the United States.  However, when the illegal aliens commit crimes and are arrested, they are paying less and less of the state and local costs of incarcerating them.  That’s something you might want to ask your state’s congressional members about, especially if the reimbursement costs are even lower in 2007.

Although notable, the public cost of incarcerating illegal aliens is trivial alongside the carnage they imposed on their victims.  Remember, incarcerated illegal alien perpetrators committed crime before being incarcerated.  So the question is “How much crime?” 

To give you an idea of “how much crime,” as noted in Illegal Alien Crime Wave in Full Swing, in April 2005, the GAO released another report, GAO-05-646R, on a study of 55,322 illegal aliens incarcerated in federal, state, and local facilities during 2003.  It found the following:

Of the 55,322 illegal aliens studied, researchers found that they were arrested a total of 459,614 times, averaging about 8 arrests per illegal alien.

·   They were arrested for a total of about 700,000 criminal offenses, averaging about 13 offenses per illegal alien.

·   49% had previously been convicted of a felony, 20% of a drug offense; 18% a violent offense, and 11%, other felony offenses.

·   81% of the arrests occurred after 1990

·   56% of those charged with a reentry offense had previously been convicted on at least 5 prior occasions. 

·   Defendants charged with unlawful reentry had the most extensive criminal histories.  90% had been previously arrested.  Of those with a prior arrest, 50% had been arrested for violent or drug-related felonies.

Note the last two points – the perpetrators were once “previously deported.”  Regardless, ALL those crimes would have never happened, i.e. were preventable, with serious deportation of the illegal aliens already here and proper border security to prevent both entry and re-entry.

In reviewing those numbers, note that the study only sampled about 21% of the incarcerated illegal aliens.  To get the full extent of the collateral damage, we need to extrapolate the average number of 13 criminal offenses arrested for across all 267,000 incarcerated illegal alien criminals.  Doing so results in some 3,471,000 crimes!  While noteworthy all by itself, note that that would be just the crimes arrested for.  How many additional criminal offenses they committed but were not arrested for is unknown.

Don’t the MSM and illegal alien supporters continually tell us that illegal immigration is a “victimless crime” and that they are only here to do the work Americans don’t want to do?  Since each crime has a victim, 3,471,000 sounds like a lot of victimization to me.  Maybe they are also referring to doing the “work” that American criminals don’t want to do.  Also keep in mind that the 3,471,000 crimes are only the ones committed by the hard core illegal alien criminals that were finally caught and incarcerated.  The ones not caught and the new criminals crossing daily are committing more crime each and every day.  Given the large number of crimes committed by hard core illegal alien criminals it would be worth while to come up with an estimate.

One of the problems in identifying the involvement of illegal aliens in crime, is that NOBODY TRACKS IT as a particular demographic statistic.  While the INS keeps track of all sorts of demographic data for the illegal aliens that were actually arrested and deported and puts it in the Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, the judicial system does not track it.  As noted in Cop murder spotlights crisis of killer aliens - No government agency tracks crimes by illegals, not even attacks on police so nobody really knows how many illegal alien criminals there are or how many crimes they are actually committing.  Many simply fall through the cracks.

If we assume illegal aliens commit crime at the same rate as citizens in the general population, an assumption that may grossly underestimate their involvement as we shall soon see, we can estimate the number of crimes on a yearly basis being committed by illegal aliens as a straight percentage of the population.  To do this, we note the number of illegal aliens in the population and apply the percentage representation in the population to the total number of crimes committed. 

The current population of illegal aliens ranges from a generally accepted low of 12 million to a few estimates in the 25-30 million range.  For the purposes of this discussion, I will use a relatively lower estimate of 15 million in a population of 300 million which is a 5% representation.

As we will see later, the Justice Department does not track crimes by nationality so NOBODY actually knows how much crime is being committed by foreign nationals, a.k.a. illegal aliens.  While we can make a reasonable assumption that there are more illegal alien criminals who are not in jail as there are in jail, as partially indicated by the 400,000 outstanding deportation orders, we simply do not know how much crime they are committing. 

With the Federal Government acting like a bunch of “see and hear no evil” monkeys when it comes to illegal alien crime, we are left to our own devices to come up with any meaningful numbers.  One measure is to assume that illegal aliens commit the same amount of the crime as their representative percentage of the general population.  Is that accurate?  Nobody knows.  However, as the aforementioned GAO report noted, we do know that about 27% of the incarcerated prisoners in federal jails are foreign nationals and that they did commit a lot of crime.  This means that incarcerated illegal aliens are disproportionately responsible for more crime than their representation in the population.  It is therefore not unreasonable to assume that illegal aliens are also responsible for about the same proportion of the ongoing crime as well.  While the actual number probably lies somewhere between the two estimates, NOBODY KNOWS BECAUSE NOBODY IS TRACKING IT.

The following estimate of illegal alien crime is based on the aforementioned assumptions.  Thus we start with the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), Crime in the United States (CIUS) 2005, for the Estimated Number of Arrests and then apply the 5% representation of the illegal alien population component as well as the 27% incarceration rate in federal prisons to the number of crimes reported by the FBI from actual arrests.  What we then get an estimation of how much crime was committed by arrested illegal aliens in 2005 as follows:

CRIMES (actual arrests)	Number	5% rate	27% rate
Total	14,094,186	704,709	3,805,430
Murder & non-negligent manslaughter	14,062	703	3,797
Forcible rape