From the GAO:
... Some illegal aliens in the United States have been arrested and incarcerated in federal and state prisons and local jails, adding to already overcrowded prisons and jails. On April 7, 2005, we issued a report on criminal aliens that were incarcerated in federal and state prisons and local jails. Our report contained information on the number of criminal aliens incarcerated, their country of citizenship or country of birth, and the cost to incarcerate them. Congress also requested that we provide information on the criminal history of aliens incarcerated in federal and state prisons or local jails who had entered the country illegally. For a population of aliens that entered the country illegally and were incarcerated in federal or state prisons or local jails, this report addresses the following questions: (1) How many times have they been arrested? (2) How many and what type of criminal offenses have they been arrested for? (3) What states were they arrested in?
In our population study of 55,322 illegal aliens, we found that they were arrested at least a total of 459,614 times, averaging about 8 arrests per illegal alien. Nearly all had more than 1 arrest. Thirty-eight percent (about 21,000) had between 2 and 5 arrests, 32 percent (about 18,000) had between 6 and 10 arrests, and 26 percent (about 15,000) had 11 or more arrests. Most of the arrests occurred after 1990. They were arrested for a total of about 700,000 criminal offenses, averaging about 13 offenses per illegal alien. One arrest incident may include multiple offenses, a fact that explains why there are nearly one and half times more offenses than arrests. Almost all of these illegal aliens were arrested for more than 1 offense. Slightly more than half of the 55,322 illegal aliens had between 2 and 10 offenses. About 45 percent of all offenses were drug or immigration offenses. About 15 percent were property-related offenses such as burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and property damage. About 12 percent were for violent offenses such as murder, robbery, assault, and sex-related crimes. The balance was for such other offenses as traffic violations, including driving under the influence; fraud--including forgery and counterfeiting; weapons violations; and obstruction of justice. Eighty percent of all arrests occurred in three states--California, Texas, and Arizona. Specifically, about 58 percent of all arrests occurred in California, 14 percent in Texas, and 8 percent in Arizona. (emphasis added)
Even if you discount any and all immigration crimes, I'd say that report firmly places the burden of proof on the Open Borders crowd. YES to well-vetted, screened, qualified, desireable immigrants. NO to illegals.
Was this data collected only from illegal immigrants who had at some point been incarcerated? Don't you think that flaws it just a wee bit (or a LOT), considering the rate of repeat offenses for criminals in general? Furthermore, 45% of the arrests were related to immigration...that's a significant number. Just something to think about. "Illegals" are people too, and I bet you'd be surprised at the things in your life that wouldn't function properly without immigrants who happen to be here illegally because they cannot get here legally. I just have very little respect for people who are so quick to judge an entire (very diverse) group of people based on one set of very limited, biased numbers.
Posted by: immigrantsarepeopletoo | May 16, 2006 at 01:48 AM
Just happened upon your blog and noticed immigrantsarepeopletoo used quotation marks around the word ILLEGALS- as if they're NOT illegal? Give me a break. I live approximately 200 feet from a sanctioned day labor worker center. The area I live in is filled with illegal aliens. I have nothing against immigrants, but I do against ILLEGALS/CRIMINALS. My family immigrated here legally. I wish those who break laws to get here would instead put some of that energy into making their home country a better place and not come here. Things in my life wouldn't function properly without them? Umm, NO, things would be just fine. The big May 1st demonstration day was bliss- less traffic, no crowds, no loss in any way for me or my clients or any business we visited. We all enjoyed it. I don't care if you have no respect for those "quick to judge"- guess what? I am an ex-liberal and it took me many years- nothing quick about it- to open my eyes and see we're being taken! I have very little respect for people who deliberately break the law and those who encourage them. (End of my rant).
Posted by: wendela | May 16, 2006 at 02:38 AM
First of all, immigrantsarepeopletoo, the 45% number is for a lumped category of drug offenses & immigration violations. I don't know why they lumped those two together, and you're correct to spot it as the weakest point in the GAO summary, but it includes drug offenses. Important point.
and of course they're people, too. People with the same Natural Rights you and I have. They just don't have any right to be here, and there are way too many of them from a relatively small area.
And everything I do went just fine on May 1.
Illegals go home!
Posted by: pedro | May 16, 2006 at 06:36 AM
Oh, and of course the data was from people who had been incarcerated! It's arrest data, and damn obnoxious ones at that. These are not people behaving as guests. Having bronken the law to get it, it looks like they just keep on breaking it in very disproportionate numbers.
Posted by: pedro | May 16, 2006 at 06:38 AM
If our laws would allow the illegals to enter legally through the checkpoints, then those that attempt to bypass that would easily be caught. The ambitious here to work have a moral right to be here. The current immigration law is unconstitutional, as a quota system, it violates natural rights. There are almost no work visas available that allow any migrants especially of the numbers of Mexican worker/migrants, Central American, South American migrants, that are willing to work and there are only few B1 visas that allow engineers or high tech worker immigrant/visitors. Why should we and do we have moral right to continue to violate Jefferson's principle of Expatriation and free migration?
This country is based on freedom and capitalism.
Posted by: Frederick Martin F | June 26, 2006 at 04:11 AM