Hispanic/Latino Immigrants And Crime

“In general, the results from the current study suggest that only three of the independent variables are significantly related to attitudes toward violence: social capital, machismo (male superiority), and perceptions of treatment of Latinos by U.S. non-Latinos...the findings of this research demonstrate that factors that influence Latino attitudes toward violence may be unique from predictor variables that in the past have been used to explain maladaptive assimilation outcomes. The assimilation experience of contemporary Latinos in the United States, although similar to that of previous generations, is unique and seemingly more complex. Researchers must give consideration to the widespread negative sentiments toward undocumented immigrants in the Latino Attitudes Toward Violence 155 United States and how an inhospitable

Chapter 4 in The Color of Justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America, was about the relations between society and law enforcement officers. This has been a major topic, especially in the United States for a long time. The unfortunate statistic that minorities are more likely to encounter being killed, arrested, and victimized by excessive physical force; has been a real issue even in today’s society. However, police departments are trying to combat the way police officers interact with the community; especially those of color. Although steps have been takes there are still some instances where police aggression happens. With all of the issues that arise between certain minority populated community’s police it is evident that conflict

In the book Punished by Victor Rios, he presents the argument that the consistent labeling by every state run institution that cast young Latinos as criminals or cast “at risk youth” expected to commit crimes is symptomatic of the social structures that creature the criminalization process of young Latinos. Non-state institutions as well as parents, who often seek help from them, are often advised to

Various immigrants migrated to the United States. Many struggled to find jobs once in America. Why? Because whether they be Catholic or immigrants they suffered racism from whites. As a result, they couldn’t acquire any jobs to sustain their families. This led them to get involved in illegal crimes (organized crime). Many of these immigrants has a social philosophy that contributed to the rise of organized crime. This paper will analyze the social philosophy of immigrants and how it contributed to organized crime.

Immigration is one of the central themes of the founding of the United States and as such it is often the epicenter of controversy among both citizens and policymakers. Throughout the twentieth century, American citizens and policymakers have brought to the forefront the importance of immigration and the role immigrants play within society. This can be a cause of friction between immigrants and multi-generational citizens because immigrants are often viewed with a negative connotation. They are often blamed for stealing jobs from hardworking citizens, draining the healthcare system and adding to the homeless population. They are associated with crime, poverty and in general they are perceived as undesirable members of society (Spenkuch, 2014). The relationship between crime and immigrants is of particular importance because there is a common perception that immigrants cause crime and their neighborhoods are riddled with criminal activity. Also important to note is that the characteristics of immigrants tend to coincide with members of the native-born population that are disproportionally incarceration. In general, they are poorly educated, earn low wages and are young, males. This led to the perception that incoming immigrants continuously add to the lower class, criminal population. In order to clearly understand the relationship between the two concepts they must be examined both from a theoretical and empirical viewpoint

Criminality in our country is often assigned to you at birth determined by trivial categories such as race, class, gender, immigration status, religion, and the list can continue forever. Life outcomes can be predetermined when taking all of these identities into account, making someone more susceptible to the reach of the mass incarceration system. However, I will be focusing on undocumented immigrants and how being seen as “illegal” is part of their daily lived experiences and how there are very strong parallels between the immigration detention centers and prisons in the United States. Undocumented people experience similar forms of social and political disenfranchisement that people affected by the criminal justice system also have to

The presence of Hispanic-owned businesses was found to decrease the new immigration–property crime relationship. The importance of business presence could be a result of the economic neighborhood recovery that results from the immigrant-owned businesses. Immigration is reviving and stabilizing local communities by increasing the income base of communities. The recovery of these communities will experience a decline in criminal outcomes, not just among the immigrant population, but also among all population groups. Also, there will be an increase in jobs to aid the needs of the expanding population. Low-crime areas attract Hispanic business owners as much as business activity causes a decrease in levels of crime. As Hispanic-owned businesses increase, new immigrants are more likely to follow to these positions. Findings show that first-generation immigrants are least likely to commit violent crimes. The third-generation immigrants are most likely the generation to commit acts of crime. Minority and immigrant-owned businesses may be an important part of the debate of the local economy and crime. This research is important for public policy. The United States visa policies are preventing entrepreneurs from innovation and job creation within the United States that would also create an opportunity for United States citizens.

What role will immigrants have in the future of American crime? Unlike the past and the present, it is difficult to determine exactly what sort of role immigrants will play in the future. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2010) “The next half century marks key points in continuing trends — the U.S. will become a plurality nation, where the non-Hispanic white population remains the largest single group, but no group is in the majority” (p. 11). Estolano LeSar Perez, a researcher with Los Angeles 2050, says this could have a real impact on something that preoccupies many Americans: crime.

Lee, Matthew T. (2003). Crime on the Border: Immigration and Homicide in Urban Communities. New York: LFB Scholarly Publishing.

The article, Decoding Prejudice towards Hispanics: Group Cues and Public Reactions to Threatening Immigrant Behavior consists of previous and modern racism. This article was published in 2013 and was written by Todd K. Hartman, Benjamin J. Newman, and C. Scott Bell. The article itself was well-organized and provided crucial information that needs more recognition. The main point of this source is to express whether prejudice towards Hispanics has gone “underground” and “coded” racially or ethnically in the United States (Hartman, Newman, Scott Bell 145). This article is a great source to use, not only does it include racial issues, but provides the rights the Hispanic populations has, as well as prejudice studies throughout the years.

Although events such as San Bernardino in 2015 provide anecdotal evidence of immigrants committing acts of extreme violence, these events are extremely rare. Nonetheless, tragedies such as these inevitably grab headlines and capture the attention of millions of Americans across the country. Tragedies such as the attack in San Bernardino hold strong emotional appeal to proponents for restrictive immigration policy. However, these rare and uncontrollable events should not provide the base of logic for America’s national immigration policy as they are not a proxy for immigrant behavior as a whole. Various statistics regarding crime among immigrants may reveal an underlying reason for lower crime rates, which is that the majority of immigrants understand the implications of committing a crime and know that it would not be in their best interest as a new member of the country they wish to call home. Natives, moreover, have crime rates five times that of immigrants. This demonstrates the potential positive externalities that immigrants contribute to the social sphere by lowering the crime rate and acting as models within urban America.

Not only do immigrant’s perceptions of crime in a community affect their relationships within that community, but so do their perceptions of law enforcement. A study done by Menjivar and Bejarano (2004) explained the fears of U.S. law enforcement held by immigrants. The authors found that these fears impacted the immigrant’s relationships with police and even relationships within their communities. The study was based on 61 interviews with immigrants from multiple Latin countries such as Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico and on participant observation conducted in Phoenix, Arizona. The results of the study found three specific factors that affected immigrants: immigrants’ former experiences with crime both in America and their home

It is proven that immigrants are far more afraid and less likely to as well participate in any crime involved activities, quit their jobs, shoplift, hurt others in any way, shape or form, or do something that could get them arrested. It’s the sense of fear they have for getting deported, but it may also be that good spirit in which they truly came here to start a better life with no problems. Many comparisons between cities, communities and counties are done by economists to differentiate the links of local concentration of immigrants and the rates of crime and violence in that specified area. Results showed that the higher number concentration of immigrants, the lower crime rate. There is no proven connection found between immigrants and higher crime

Immigrants arrive here in America to establish a better quality of life. They come here to get a job, raise their families, and get an education. To express their need for stability is important. In “Border on Our Backs,” Rodriguez carries some sociological information of how Latinos feel judged. The author states, “Just who precisely needs to be pardoned? Those who are exploited and who’ve been here forever…or those who’ve been complicit in our dehumanization” (562)? He feels criminalization in the way the Latin immigrants are treated. Rodriguez talks about some racial profiling in

The thought of arriving immigrants in any host country has been accompanied by reactions of exclusion, and continues to expand throughout the years. During any social illness, immigrants tend to be the first to be held responsible by their recipient societies. Most crimes are associated with immigrants due to the fact that they may not posses the same socio-economics status as natives. Another contributing factor is the media that conducts numerous stories that highlight the image of immigrant crimes to recall the alleged difference between native and foreign born. Undoubtedly, the correlation between immigration and crime has become one of the most controversial discussions in current society. As we enter a new era, immigrants will have