Study Shows that Sanctuary Cities Do Not Have Higher Crime Rates

Sanctuary city policies bar local law enforcement officials from cooperating with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in order to deport immigrants present in the U.S. with no legal status. In a recent study, researchers from the University of California, Riverside, found no evidence that sanctuary policies have any impact on crime rates in those cities or counties. According to a recent statement from Attorney General Jeff Sessions, however, the same study proves that cities with sanctuary polices have higher violent crime rates than those cities who have no such policies. One of the lead researchers, Benjamin Gonzalez-O’Brien, who is an assistant professor of political science at Highline College, flatly states that there is simply no evidence supporting Sessions’ statement. The study involved crime rates in 55 different cities, and the compiled data indicated that there was no correlation between sanctuary city policies and increased rates of violent crime in those cities. Nonetheless, since the publication of the study results in the Washington Post, conservative media outlets and politicians have used pieces of the study as evidence that sanctuary city policies are dangerous to a city’s inhabitants. Despite the opposition of the researchers themselves, the Trump administration continues to stand by its claims that sanctuary cities have elevated violent crime rates. Nonetheless, spokespersons for the administration have refused to provide links to its specific sources in the research study results, or any other source. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Sessions has misrepresented the truth with respect to sanctuary city policies. For example, Sessions has repeatedly indicated that it is illegal for local jurisdictions to decline to hold individuals when requested to do so by ICE, which is simply not the case. No matter the outcome of the sanctuary city debate, the skilled and knowledgeable immigration lawyers of Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C. are here to get detained immigrants released and defend them against removal from the country. We handle these types of cases on a regular basis and have valuable knowledge about how to best represent your interests, based on your individual circumstances. By contacting our office right away, you will place yourself in the best position possible to have loved ones released from detention and defend again potential removal from home and family.