Sanctuary cities have higher crime rates
| Sanctuary cities have higher crime rates | |
|---|---|
| UNSUPPORTED | |
| "Cities and counties that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement have more crime because they release dangerous criminals." | |
| Domain | Immigration & Migration |
| Tactic | Statistical & Evidentiary Distortion |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2015 |
| Origin | Political rhetoric after the 2015 killing of Kate Steinle in San Francisco by a man who had been deported several times |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on Immigration & Migration | |
Sanctuary policies limit how far local police and jails cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Opponents say they cause more crime. Studies comparing jurisdictions with and without such policies have generally found no increase in crime associated with them.
The claim
Individual crimes by people released from local custody are presented as proof that sanctuary policies make communities more dangerous.
What the evidence shows
- Comparative studies. A 2017 analysis by political scientist Tom K. Wong found crime was statistically lower in sanctuary counties than in comparable non-sanctuary counties. A 2019 study in Justice Quarterly found sanctuary policies had no significant effect on crime rates.
- Individual cases. Tragic cases are real, but they do not show a pattern across jurisdictions.
- Police rationale. Some police chiefs support such policies on the grounds that immigrants are more likely to report crimes when they do not fear deportation.
Why it persists
A single high-profile crime is more memorable than a statistical comparison.
See also
Sources
- Tom K. Wong, The Effects of Sanctuary Policies on Crime and the Economy, Center for American Progress, January 2017.
- Ricardo D. Martínez-Schuldt and Daniel E. Martínez, "Sanctuary Policies and City-Level Incidents of Violence, 1990 to 2010," Justice Quarterly 36, no. 4 (2019).