New study links illegal immigration and crime

Immigration: From one county but why is there no reports like this elsewhere?

Illegal immigrants comprised nearly 19 percent of those sentenced for felonies in Maricopa County in 2007 even though illegal immigrants only make up an estimated 9 percent of the county’s population, according to a new study. The numbers, which were generated by the County Attorney’s Office, apparently reinforce popular beliefs about illegal immigration and crime. The study was released Thursday by County Attorney Andrew Thomas and focuses on persons who are actually convicted. It said 18.7 percent of convicted felons in the county last year were undocumented immigrants. In the past, Thomas’ office has balked at providing numbers of illegal immigrants prosecuted for crimes other than those related to the state’s human-smuggling statutes, and the county attorney denied that the release of the study was politically timed. Thomas faces Democrat Tim Nelson and Libertarian Michael Kielsky in the Nov. 4 election. “I understand there is great passion related to the illegal-immigration debate,” Thomas said. “And I am not trying to incite anything or pour gasoline on the flames, but the public has a legitimate right to know whether there is a link between crime and illegal immigration.” According to Thomas’ findings, in 2007, illegal immigrants accounted for 12.8 percent of aggravated-assault convictions, 33.5 percent of drug convictions, 35.8 percent of kidnappings, 13 percent of robberies, 20.3 percent of felony DUIs, 20.7 percent of crimes with weapons and 10.6 percent of murders and manslaughters. The percentages were higher for crimes generally associated with illegal immigrants, such as 96 percent of smuggling cases, 44.4 percent of forgeries and frauds, and 85.3 percent of false-ID convictions.