Latest / Uncensored Objection / [Podcast Episode] The Crime Myth: Why Immigrants Are Not to Blame for Crime in America

Transcript

[Podcast Episode] The Crime Myth: Why Immigrants Are Not to Blame for Crime in America · Uncensored Objection

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the deep dive.
• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: You're here because,
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: well,
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: you want to get past the headlines,
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: understand what's really going on.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what we try to do.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 0:09
  Today,
• 0:09
  we're digging into a piece from attorney Mitch Jackson's
• 0:12
  uncensored objection substack.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: And he's tackling a topic that's,
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: let's just say,
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: very much in the conversation right now,
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: especially with President Trump in office,
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: immigration and crime in America.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and this isn't just opinion.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: The article pulls together data from a whole range of sources,
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: FBI,
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: ICE,
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: Cato Institute,
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: American Immigration Council,
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: Reuters,
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: quite a few.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'd really get at the core question right.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Looking back over, say, the last 20 years,
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: Who is actually committing crimes in the U.S.?
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: What's the data really show?
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: That's the mission.
• 0:44
  We want to see what the numbers say about native-born citizens
• 0:48
  compared to
• 0:49
  undocumented immigrants and documented immigrants across
• 0:52
  different types of crime.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so we'll look at the big picture overall crime, then zoom in a bit.
• 0:56
  Violent crime,
• 0:58
  property crime,
• 0:58
  drug stuff,
• 0:59
  even homicide,
• 1:01
  and incarceration rates,
• 1:02
  too.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: Comparing those three groups across the board.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: Let's start big then.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Total crime in America.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: There's definitely a common narrative out there.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, absolutely.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: The idea that immigrants drive up crime rates is, well, it's persistent.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: But let's look at the actual figures.
• 1:16
  We're talking about roughly 14 million crimes reported each
• 1:19
  year in the U.S.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: 14 million.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: OK.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: And who's involved?
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: Well, the breakdown is pretty striking when you see it laid out.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: Native-born citizens, they're involved in about 88% of those crimes.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: 88%, okay.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: What about immigrants?
• 1:35
  undocumented immigrants account for roughly 6% and documented
• 1:39
  immigrants also around 6%.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: So immigrants together, that's 12% of crime involvement.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: But wait, what percentage of the population are they?
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: About 13, 15%?
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_01: So if they're 14,
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: 15% of the population,
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_01: but only involved in 12% of crimes,
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: they're actually underrepresented in crime statistics.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's unpack this.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: That finding alone kind of challenges the common perception, doesn't it?
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: It really does.
• 2:02
  That initial look suggests the reality is quite different from
• 2:06
  the rhetoric we often hear.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Let's move to something that gets a lot of airtime.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Violent crime.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: The political talk often links immigrants,
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: especially undocumented immigrants,
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: to surges in violence.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, that linkage is made frequently.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: But again, the data paints a very different picture.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: We see about 1.2 million violent crimes reported annually.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: And the breakdown for violent crime.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: Over 90 percent.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: More than 9 out of 10 are committed by native-born individuals.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, over 90 percent.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: Undocumented immigrants, around 5 percent.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: Documented immigrants, about 4 percent.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: So these claims about immigrants causing big spikes in violent crime,
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: they just don't seem to hold up when you look at the numbers.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: The data simply doesn't support it.
• 2:50
  What's fascinating here is the stark contrast between that
• 2:53
  perception and the
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: reality shown in the stats.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, what about property crime?
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Things like theft, burglary, arson.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's the majority of a reported crime, right?
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: Over 6.5 million incidents a year.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's the largest category by volume.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: And do we see a different pattern here?
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: Well, do we?
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: Not really, no.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: Native-born citizens are involved in about 89% of those.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: Undocumented immigrants, roughly 6%.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: Undocumented immigrants, around 5%.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: So again, the vast majority is attributed to native-born citizens.
• 3:24
  The idea that immigrants are driving property crime doesn't
• 3:27
  seem to fit the facts either.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: the data consistently points away from that conclusion.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, now drug offenses.
• 3:33
  This is sometimes highlighted as an area with higher immigrant involvement,
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: particularly concerning the border.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: What do the stats show here?
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: This is an area where critics sometimes focus.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: There are about 1.2 million drug arrests annually.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: And the breakdown.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: Native-born Americans account for 84% of those arrests.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: Undocumented immigrants, it's about 10%.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: Undocumented immigrants, 6%.
• 3:56
  So that 10% for undocumented immigrants is slightly higher than
• 4:00
  their share in
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: violent or property crime.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: It is, yeah.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: But still, native-born individuals make up the overwhelming majority 84%.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's important to keep that context.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Here's where it gets really interesting, though.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: The article you mentioned from Mitch Jackson,
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: it digs into what kind of drug arrests these often are for immigrants,
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: right?
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, that's a crucial point he raises.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of these arrests involving immigrants,
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: particularly near the border,
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: are reportedly for possession,
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_01: not necessarily large scale trafficking operations.
• 4:28
  So could that be tied to like enforcement patterns near the
• 4:32
  border itself?
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe catching more lower level stuff?
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: That's a very plausible interpretation raised in the analysis.
• 4:39
  Enforcement concentration in border zones could inflate
• 4:42
  possession arrests there,
• 4:43
  which might not reflect the broader picture of drug
• 4:46
  distribution networks across
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: the country.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, that adds important nuance.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Let's turn to the most serious category, homicide.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Around 20,000 homicides annually in the U.S.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: What does the data say here?
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: The numbers here are maybe the starkest.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: Native-born citizens account for 93% of homicide.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: 93%.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: Undocumented immigrants, about 4%.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: Documented immigrants, around 3%.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: So the idea that immigrants are driving a murder wave,
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: I mean,
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: 93% committed by native-born individuals.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: It just doesn't align with the evidence at all.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: Not remotely.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: The data is incredibly clear on this point.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: OK, let's shift gears slightly.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of crimes committed, let's look at who is actually incarcerated.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: We have about two million people in jails and prisons.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: And who makes up that population?
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: Again, overwhelmingly native-born citizens, about 90 percent.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: 90 percent.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: And immigrants.
• 5:41
  Undocumented immigrants make up somewhere between five and six
• 5:43
  percent of the
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: incarcerated population.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: Documented immigrants, it's even lower, around three to four percent.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: So this reinforces the earlier point, doesn't it?
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Not only lower crime involvement,
• 5:53
  but immigrants are also less likely to end up incarcerated
• 5:56
  compared to native born Americans.
• 5:58
  And precisely,
• 5:59
  which really makes you step back and question the narratives we
• 6:02
  hear so often.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: This raises an important question about those narratives, doesn't it?
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: It absolutely does.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Let's try to put this in like a real world perspective.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: What does this mean on an individual level?
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: Well,
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: if you look at it per capita,
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: for every 100 immigrants living in the U.S.,
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: maybe two or three are involved in a crime in a given year.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Two or three out of 100.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: And for native-born Americans?
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: It's slightly higher.
• 6:24
  Roughly 3.3 out of every 100 native-born Americans are involved
• 6:28
  in a crime annually.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: So statistically speaking,
• 6:32
  you're actually a bit more likely to be victimized by someone
• 6:35
  born in the U.S.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: than by an immigrant.
• 6:37
  Based purely on these crime rate statistics,
• 6:39
  yes,
• 6:40
  that's what the numbers suggest.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: So what does this all mean?
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: If the data points so clearly in one direction,
• 6:45
  why does this myth about immigrants and high crime rates
• 6:48
  persist so strongly?
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Mitch Jackson's article touches on potential reasons, right?
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: It does.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_01: It suggests that, well, fear can be politically useful.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: Scary headlines grab attention, maybe rally support.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: And it's perhaps easier to blame an outside group.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 7:03
  Blaming immigrants can seem like a simpler explanation than
• 7:06
  tackling really complex,
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: deep-rooted social issues that contribute to crime.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Things like poverty,
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: lack of opportunity,
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: mental health crises,
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: failing education systems,
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: inequality.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: It simplifies a complicated reality.
• 7:21
  And the article also hints that maybe creating division that us
• 7:24
  versus them feeling
• 7:26
  can distract from addressing those underlying problems within
• 7:29
  society itself.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's suggested that this kind of rhetoric,
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: which figures like Donald Trump have utilized,
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_01: as noted in the article's context,
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: can serve to divert attention from more fundamental issues.
• 7:40
  So wrapping this section up,
• 7:41
  the conclusion from the data seems pretty clear.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: Immigrants are not the primary cause of America's crime problems.
• 7:48
  The data consistently shows they are often less likely to
• 7:50
  commit crimes than
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: native-born citizens.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: Which means, if we actually want to reduce crime effectively.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: Our resources and focus should probably be elsewhere.
• 8:00
  As the article implies,
• 8:01
  investing in things we know can make a difference.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: Mental health support,
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: better education,
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_01: economic opportunities,
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: community-based prevention programs.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: Wasting energy and resources,
• 8:12
  chasing false narratives based on fear rather than facts
• 8:15
  doesn't actually make
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: anyone safer.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: It likely just diverts from solutions that could genuinely work.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: OK,
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: so to just quickly summarize our deep dive here,
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: looking at this data explored in Mitch Jackson's article,
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: the evidence is pretty compelling.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: Immigrants are not driving crime in the U.S.,
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Across the board,
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_01: overall crime,
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: violent crime,
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: property crime,
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: even homicide and incarceration rates the data points to lower levels of
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: involvement for immigrants compared to native-born citizens.
• 8:44
  Which leaves us,
• 8:45
  and you,
• 8:46
  the listener,
• 8:47
  with maybe a final thought to chew on.
• 8:49
  Why do these myths hang around so stubbornly when the evidence
• 8:53
  says otherwise?
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: What are the real costs of believing them?
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: And maybe what other assumptions are we all making,
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: perhaps without really checking the facts first?
• 9:01
  This whole discussion was scurred by that insightful article on
• 9:03
  breaking political
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: news from attorney Mitch Jackson's Uncensored Objection Substack.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and we really encourage you to check it out.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: Go visit Mitch Jackson's Substack.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: You can subscribe.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: You can share the articles.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: Jump into the comments section.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's a great place to keep exploring these kinds of important topics.