ABSTRACT
In recent years, the Latino population in the United States has been steadily increasing. Part of this increase is due to first-generation Latino immigrants—and their descendants—who migrated to the U.S. searching for a better quality of life and opportunities than those in their countries of origin. Along with this increase, there has been an increase in anti-immigration rhetoric suggesting that immigrants are disproportionally crime prone. This chapter presents a thorough discussion of the hypothesized connection between Latino immigration and crime in the U.S. First, we describe the historical context of Latino immigration to the U.S. and the theoretical perspectives explaining the purported immigration-crime nexus. Next, we summarize the empirical evidence accumulated over the past 15 years from studies assessing the effects of Latino immigration on crime and criminal behavior, both at the individual and macro levels. We conclude with a discussion of evidence-based policy and research implications.
