Immigration and Crime

David Zuchowski and Mateus Maciel

No 1839, GLO Discussion Paper Series from Global Labor Organization (GLO)

Abstract: The relationship between immigration and crime is one of the most salient issues in public discourse. Despite widespread public concern, most studies find no evidence that immigration increases crime rates in host countries. This article reviews recent empirical evidence on the relationship between immigration and crime. Rather than offering an exhaustive survey, it focuses on recent and seminal contributions, highlighting emerging trends and research frontiers. In particular, the article discusses how immigration policies can mediate the relationship between immigration and crime. It also discusses research on crimes against immigrants, a topic that has attracted increasing scholarly interest but remains largely neglected in public discourse. Finally, given the substantial gap between public perception and the empirical evidence, the article reviews research on immigration and crime perception.

Keywords: Immigration; Refugees; Crime; Immigration policy; Hate crime (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 J15 J61 K37 K42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mig
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:glodps:1839

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