Introduction
In the recent few decades, it has been observed that the world is changing rapidly and the movement of the people from one country to the other has highly increased. The United States is one of the best-targeted locations which accommodated millions of immigrants in the last two centuries. There is continuous immigration of the Hispanics and Latinos from the Mexican borders which is one of the biggest threat to the population increase in the state of Texas. The living standards have been highly decreased in the society. The main aim of the discussion is, about the crimes which are raised by the increase in the crime rate throughout the country as well as there will also be a discussion about the social disturbance and change in the living standard due to immigrants in the society.
In consideration of the higher increase in the immigration and the movement of people from one country to another which is showing a direct proportion in the increase of the crime of the state, the criminal justice is considering the immigration very prominently and wants to shut down the immigration activities until the problems are not resolved. The States have jurisdiction and have concluded very prominent punishments but the problem in tracking the individuals involved in the crime as there is no official evidence of their existence in the country or any proper location where they would be found.
In a nutshell, it is explainable that the crime in all over the state could be considered as highly increased. Since there are not enough law enforcement officials, who would help in the proper enforcement of the laws as well as to properly resolve the conflicts between the immigrants and the native community. A good number of people are affected by the immigration, and the government is required to find a proper solution to removing the poverty and let the immigrants survive by employment and improvement in the living standards.
Discussion
- A link between immigration and crime rate has been observed as reports show that most of the criminal records are of immigrants. Survey also shows that the immigrants are illiterate and therefore, use any means possible to make a living for themselves (Butcher & Piehl, 1998).
- A varying rate of violent crimes committed by the different ethnic groups such as the Latinos and the Blacks. Reports from a survey conducted in 2000 show that Latinos are involved in minor offenses (Harris & Feldmeyer, 2013)
- Reports show that immigration has led to numerous issues such as those of homicide and burglary. San Antonio and Miami showed an increase in criminal offenses carried out by non-locals (Martinez Jr & Stowell, 2012)
- The study shows that the issue of drug smuggling across the borders and the property crimes, both were linked to the immigrant communities who had been actively participating in these criminal offenses (Richardson & Resendiz, 2006)
- The recent immigration wave provided the authors with an opportunity to study the effects of this phenomenon on Texas. The study revealed that there a link between immigration and crime rates is prevalent throughout the Texas state (Stansfield et al., 2013)
Synthesis Matrix
| ELEMENT | (Butcher & Piehl, 1998) | (Harris & Feldmeyer, 2013) | (Martinez Jr & Stowell, 2012) | (Richardson & Resendiz, 2006) | (Stansfield et al., 2013) |
| Purpose of Study: | To gauge a link between the increasing crime rates and immigration | To compare and contrast the different ethnic groups that have been a cause of criminal offenses in different parts of the United States | To assess the relationship between crimes committed by Latino immigrants in different parts of the United States | To examine the rising criminal offenses mainly drug trafficking and smuggling and property crimes associated with the increase in immigrant population | To assess the recent impact of immigration on the crime rate |
| Research Type (Qualitative, Quantitative, Mixed) and Population: | Quantitative research | Quantitative research | Quantitative research | Qualitative research | Qualitative research |
| Major Findings | Crimes are dependent on immigration due to immigrants being illiterate | Homicides and drug-related offenses are dependent on immigration | Violent crimes are dependent on immigration | Drug smuggling and property crimes are dependent on immigration | Crimes are dependent on immigration |
Study Findings / Conclusions / Implications . . . |
|||||
| First Main Theme: | Reviewing the reports of the past based on Criminal offenses carried out by immigrants | Analyzing the reports from the previous years to examine the influx of crime rates | Examining the previous criminal records from California, Texas and New York | Assessing the situation of rising criminal activities across the United States | Assessing the previous reports on the population of Austin, Texas |
| Second Main Theme: | Performing a cross-examination of criminal records of immigrant population | Comparison of different ethnic groups in Florida and Texas | The relationship between different immigrant ethnic groups | Involvement of young immigrant males in criminal activities | The impact of increasing population on the state |
| Third Mean Theme: | Criminal offenses are carried out by young illiterate nonwhite males | Seeking to resolve the issue of criminal offenses caused by immigration | Significant ethnic and racial differences in the relationships | Problems faced by law enforcement | Finding means to control the crime rate issue caused by immigration |
Research Question
How the immigration has an influence on the state crime in all over the State of Texas and its direct effects on the social life of the native community?
Literature Review
Research Synthesis
This research tries to determine whether there is a link between immigration and crime, primarily, since 1980. Southern, southeastern and southwestern borders are found to be easy gateways for the influx of illegal immigrants from Mexico. Hispanic and Latino immigrants make the largest proportion of foreigners in southern border areas. Some sources (Martinez Jr & Stowell, 2012) believe that borders with Mexico nearer to coastal areas have been largely hit by burglary and homicide committed by foreigners, implicating Hispanic involvement. Another source (Harris & Feldmeyer, 2013) finds a decrease in violence involving Latinos immigrants. However, it is admitted that there is lack of adequate record to establish is as a fact. It labels black population as the one responsible for most offenses in central and Mid-Atlantic states. Another (Butcher & Piehl, 1998) finding contradicts the previous suspicion of foreign involvement by presenting the fact that local-born youth is more likely to be involved in offense than non-local ones.
Illiteracy and poverty have been labeled as the chief reason for youth crime. Another source (Richardson & Resendiz, 2006) maintains that drug trafficking, property apprehension, and smuggling have been increased significantly in the past two decades. The trend is most noticeable in Austin, San Antonio, and surrounding areas and usually committed by non-white males. Finally, an example of Austin is presented (Stansfield, Akins, Rumbaut, & Hammer, 2013) as a precedent to establish the assumption that non-native people have been indulged in violent crimes. To prove this hypothesis, author reiterates that crime rate had outstandingly increased since late 1980s the period when the number of immigrant influx was highest.
Critical Analysis
A critical analysis of the research from five sources finds few gaps, especially the ones defending the non-local population. The assumptions have been stated and conclusions are drawn without appropriate foundation. Jumping over to conclusions have resulted in raising the suspicion among public that officials might have been victimizing the non-native youth. As mentioned in one of the papers, there is insufficient material to prove general innocence foreigners from across the southern borders. Despite insufficient data, a counter-narrative can be established by comparing Texas, Florida and New Mexico with northern and central states. In these states, crime rate has declined with homicide declining the most which are evident of the fact that consistent inclination in crime rate in Texas must be one of the consequences of bulged Latin and Hispanic population. Crime and its fluctuating rate in native communities have become a topic of interest for many social groups since it brings concern for the wellbeing of people. Economic and social factors majorly influence the increasing crime rate in the present day. Most communities are affected by it, and the immediate response is widely seen in the form of people adapting to lesser means of acquiring a better financial standing. While considering the crimes in the United States, it can be observed that the immigrants are poor and they need work which is lacking in the States which results in murder, stealing, housebreak, arson, shoplifting, and violence of the social laws of the society. A smaller portion is contributed by the immigrating people that settle into these communities. Being jobless presents a wider threat to communities presently and a strong influential point for increasing crime. The rate nature of crime varies in different regions. Drug trafficking in Texas is undoubtedly the most at the national level, but a number of violent crimes have remained lower than other states.
For further investigation into the topic, it is imperative to understand every aspect of crime and the conditions that give rise to it. The affected communities present situations of financial downfall, a decrease in education and drugs affecting youth. Numerous surveys present findings that relate to the criteria of crime, the effect it has on an individual basis and the community overall. Governments have constantly been looking into ways to improve the overall situation and assist these communities in bringing about a positive change in their economic conditions. Research teams have been investigating the influence of drugs among the youth which is becoming a concerning topic in the present era.
Conclusion
The research from the records and the recent surveys shows that crime in all over the state has increased considerably. The lack of law enforcement officials has been causing serious problems as the number of immigrants and the crime rate continues to increase with the passage of time. Illiteracy and joblessness have been admittedly termed as the chief causes for growth in violence in the 1990s. There has been a strong relationship seen between increasing immigration and growing crime rate. The immigrant, predominantly, from Hispanic and Latin origin have been posited as the ones most responsible for surging number of criminals. This is established by the fact that Texas, that borders with Mexico and receives a substantial amount of Latin and Hispanic individual, has seen the most violations. While most of the findings have focused on Hispanic and Latin male youth, few findings have witnessed black individuals as the most violent people.
Annotated Bibliography
Butcher, K. F., & Piehl, A. M. (1998). Cross-city evidence on the relationship between immigration and crime. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 457–493
The authors examined the link between immigration and the crime rates that were prevalent in the United States. They highlighted the public concerns surrounding varying issues that had been brought about by immigration over the past few years. They analyzed different reports such as the Uniform Crime Reports and the Current Population surveys and found out that the cities that had immigrants in abundance exhibited high rates of crime. A survey was performed on the number of reports gathered over the years based on the involvement of the immigrant population in cases of criminal offenses. A direct link was found between the increasing crime rates and the recent immigration. The survey also reported that most of the crimes were committed by young males, almost all of them were poorly educated and were nonwhites. It is evident from the survey carried by the authors that factors such as illiteracy that fuels the young immigrants towards committing numerous criminal offenses.
Harris, C. T., & Feldmeyer, B. (2013). Latino immigration and White, Black, and Latino violent crime: A comparison of traditional and non-traditional immigrant destinations. Social Science Research, 42(1), 202–216.
The authors examined the reports from the previous records to analyze the relationship between the presence of different ethnic groups and the increase in crime rates. The reports that were examined showed that the Latino immigrants had been bypassing the traditional receiving communities. The influence of the new settlement has not been explored yet, however, the criminal records of the year 2000 from different parts of the United States such as Texas, California and New York showed that there is a varying rate of violent crimes committed by the different ethnic groups such as the Latinos and the Blacks. The study showed that the recent Latino immigration was not associated with violence. However, there have been some reports on minor criminal offenses in non-traditional destinations carried out by these migrant ethnic groups. The authors highlighted the different ways that could be used for future research.
Martinez Jr, R., & Stowell, J. I. (2012). Extending immigration and crime studies: national implications and local settings. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 641(1), 174–191.
The authors studied the impact that immigration had left in America since 1980, leading to issues of homicide and burglary. There have been endless debates over the decades that focused specifically on the relationship between immigration and the increase in violent crimes. The authors researched to analyze the recent developments in the crime rates due to immigration. The article first compared the cases of minor immigration influx, Latino growth and the decline in homicide. The purpose was to highlight the influx in the crime rate over the years in different parts of the United States. The focus of the article was also on the importance of the local settings such as Texas, San Antonio, Florida, and Miami. Time and place were also considered an important factor is impacting the rate of crimes across the U.S. The authors carried out a survey in which different ethnic groups that had been involved in a homicide and other related crimes were examined. San Antonio and Miami showed an increase in criminal offenses carried out by non-locals.
Richardson, C., & Resendiz, R. (2006). On the edge of the law: Culture, labor, and deviance on the south Texas border. University of Texas Press.
The authors carried out research based on different factors that have arisen due to the increase in the number of immigrants in the United States over the years. An important aspect that came forward was the issue of drug smuggling across the borders and the property crimes, both of these issues were linked to the immigrant communities who had been actively participating in these criminal offenses. The study revealed that the criminal offenders mostly involved young non-white males who had been either persuaded by others around them to participate in such activities or they were illiterate enough to support themselves properly. Issues such as drug trafficking and smuggling and property crimes have been creating problems for the law enforcement.
Stansfield, R., Akins, S., Rumbaut, R. G., & Hammer, R. B. (2013). Assessing the effects of recent immigration on serious property crime in Austin, Texas. Sociological Perspectives, 56(4), 647–672.
The authors assessed the influence that immigration has had especially regarding the crimes related to property in different communities of Texas. The analysis showed that there had been a considerable increase in the number of people in Austin Texas since 1980. The increase in the population has led the intellectuals to believe that Austin has become an immigrant gateway to the United States. The recent immigration wave provided the authors with an opportunity to study the effects of this phenomenon on Texas. The study revealed that there a link between immigration and crime rates is prevalent throughout the Texas state. The research is significant as it brings to light evidence that supports the argument that crime rates have increased considerably due to the increase in immigration across the United States.
References
Butcher, K. F., & Piehl, A. M. (1998). Cross-city evidence on the relationship between immigration and crime. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 457–493.
Harris, C. T., & Feldmeyer, B. (2013). Latino immigration and White, Black, and Latino violent crime: A comparison of traditional and non-traditional immigrant destinations. Social Science Research, 42(1), 202–216.
Martinez Jr, R., & Stowell, J. I. (2012). Extending immigration and crime studies: national implications and local settings. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 641(1), 174–191.
Richardson, C., & Resendiz, R. (2006). On the edge of the law: Culture, labor, and deviance on the south Texas border. University of Texas Press.
Stansfield, R., Akins, S., Rumbaut, R. G., & Hammer, R. B. (2013). Assessing the effects of recent immigration on serious property crime in Austin, Texas. Sociological Perspectives, 56(4), 647–672.
