Illuminating the Immigration–Crime Nexus: A Test of the Immigration Revitalization Perspective

Javier Ramos (), Cristal Hernandez and Davis Shelfer
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Javier Ramos: College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77340, USA
Cristal Hernandez: College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77340, USA
Davis Shelfer: College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77340, USA

Societies, 2023, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: Research shows that immigration is often associated with less crime. Yet, what remains unclear is why this is the case. The primary explanation for why immigration reduces crime, according to scholars, is the immigration revitalization thesis. This perspective argues that immigration revitalizes communities by promoting local business growth, bolstering social ties, and enhancing conventional institutions (e.g., churches, voluntary organizations), which then reduce crime. These ideas, however, have never been tested. Using longitudinal data from 139 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) between 2000 and 2019, we examine whether the relationship between immigration and violent crime is mediated by changes in the percentage of households headed by married couples, number of ethnic businesses, and/or number of immigrant/ethnic-oriented organizations. The results from the generalized structural equation models (GSEM) and mediation tests offer some support for the immigration revitalization perspective .

Keywords: immigration; violence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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