Illegal Aliens More Likely to Commit Crimes: Study

From the NewsMax.com Staff

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Monday, March 12, 2007 7:35 a.m. EDT

People who violate immigration laws are more likely to violate other laws, according to an immigration reform group that said the findings differ from previous studies showing that immigrants to the United States commit fewer crimes.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) said these previous studies - especially one last month by the Immigration Policy Center (IPC) - "are misleading because they lump legal and illegal immigrants together."

"The use of that [U.S. Census Bureau] data is virtually guaranteed to demonstrate a lower incidence of criminal activity because of the screening process to which legal immigrants and long-term foreign residents are subjected," Jack Martin, special projects director for FAIR, told Cybercast News Service.

Martin noted that legal immigrants are required to submit police reports and records of any criminal convictions that could exclude them from being issued a U.S. visa. Furthermore, non-immigrants planning to visit the U.S. and applying for a visa are also required to disclose any past criminal activity on their part.

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