the crime report

Arizona’s crime rate is at its lowest levels in the past forty years, as the  Hispanic immigrant population has soared, found a new study from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ).  Researchers also found that drug abuse was higher among the non-Hispanic population in Arizona. The report “Scapegoating Immigrants: Arizona’s Real Crisis Is Rooted in Residents’ Soaring Drug Abuse,“ was compiled using data from Arizona state agencies.

Read the report here.

Use the Crime Report for more information on immigration and crime.

The House’s approval Tuesday of $600 million in border security funding appears to mark a shift away from technology in favor of more boots on the ground, reports the Christian Science Monitor. Half of the money will pay for 1,500 new border agents. Another chunk of nearly $200 million goes to the Justice Department-supported efforts of the US Marshals and other law enforcement agencies. Two surveillance drones ring up another $32 million. (more…)

Seven weeks before Arizona’s new immigration law goes into effect, Hispanics are leaving the state, reports USA Today. Though no one has precise figures, reports from school officials, businesses and individuals indicate worried Hispanics — both legal and illegal — are leaving the state in anticipation of the law, which will go into effect July 29. Schools in Hispanic areas report unusual drops in enrollment. The Balsz Elementary School District is 75% Hispanic, and within a month of the law’s passage, the parents of 70 students pulled them out of school, citing the law as the reason for leaving. (more…)

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San Francisco’s police chief denounces Arizona’s new legal crackdown on undocumented immigrants in an exclusive commentary for The Crime Report (more…)

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One of the toughest proposed illegal-immigration measures in the country passed its final hurdle in the Arizona Legislature on Monday, moving on to face national media scrutiny, a growing firestorm of opposition and cautious consideration by the Governor’s Office, reports the Arizona Republic. Senate Bill 1070 would, among other things, make it a state crime to be in the country illegally and require local police to enforce federal immigration laws. The state Senate approved the bill by a 17-11 vote. Gov. Jan Brewer has five days to consider whether she will sign the bill. (more…)

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A new report from Human Rights Watch accuses the U.S. government of locking up refugees who miss paperwork deadlines. Between August and October 2009, the authors interviewed 17 refugees from countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Sudan who were being held by immigration in Arizona and Pennsylvania because they’d failed to file for permanent status within the one-year deadline. The report concludes that between their limited English and the “often confusing” bureaucracy of the immigration system, some refugees have trouble completing this task, and are occasionally jailed for the offense.

Click here to read the report.

Use The Crime Report for more information on Immigration.

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