In Texas, undocumented immigrants had lower felony arrest rates than US-born citizens, 2012–2018.
In Texas, undocumented immigrants had lower rates of arrests for serious violent, property and drug offenses than US-born citizens during 2012–2018. This is a historical finding from one state, not a current national crime rate.
The study counted felony arrest charges—charges for serious crimes. An arrest is not proof of guilt, and one person can have more than one charge.
On this page
What the Texas study compared
Researchers linked Texas arrest records with immigration-status information and estimated the size of each population. Undocumented residents had lower felony arrest rates across violent, property and drug offenses. The broad pattern remained when researchers tried other ways of identifying status, estimating population sizes and checking convictions.
Other studies ask a different question
A study across states using 1990–2014 records found little support for undocumented immigration increasing violence. A neighborhood study using 2010–2018 records found less property crime, no clear overall change in violent crime and more robberies. Those community totals do not tell us the immigration status of the people committing crimes.
Why the figures are disputed
Texas sometimes identifies someone’s immigration status later, including in prison. Analysts disagree about how to handle that and how to estimate the number of undocumented residents. We have not independently checked the individual records to settle those disagreements. That uncertainty belongs alongside the main study finding.
The Texas study found lower arrest rates among undocumented residents. Keep the state, years and type of record in view.
Keep in mind
- Texas in 2012–2018 cannot give a precise answer about the whole country or newer arrivals.
- People born abroad, noncitizens, asylum seekers and undocumented residents are different groups.
- Lower rates do not mean no crime, dismiss victims or establish an individual’s innocence.
Why a count is not a rate
A rate compares a count with the number of people it comes from, over a stated period.
For example, twice as many arrests in a group twice as large can mean the same arrest rate. That is an illustration, not this study’s result. Counts across many years cannot be divided by one year’s population to produce an annual risk. Uncertain immigration-status records and population estimates affect the Texas comparison. Jobs and public costs need separate evidence.
Sources you can check
Publication links open in a new tab, so you can keep your place here.
Comparing crime rates between undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants, and native-born US citizens, 2020 (opens in a new tab)
PNAS
It counts arrest charges, not proven offenses or necessarily different people. Immigration-status records and estimated group sizes affect the rates.
Return to reading ↑Does undocumented immigration increase violent crime? (opens in a new tab)
Criminology, 2018
It covers 1990–2014. State totals do not identify the immigration status of people who committed crimes.
Return to reading ↑Undocumented immigration and neighborhood crime (opens in a new tab)
Journal of Urban Affairs, 2026
The records cover 2010–2018 in urban areas. Robbery results differ from the result for overall violent crime.
Return to reading ↑Texas criminal illegal noncitizen data (opens in a new tab)
Texas Department of Public Safety
Status can be identified later. Changing totals cannot automatically be compared as annual arrest rates.
Return to reading ↑Texas crime-data classification critique (opens in a new tab)
Center for Immigration Studies, October 2022
Late identification is a genuine concern. We have not checked the disputed classifications against the original individual records.
Return to reading ↑Illegal immigrant murderers in Texas, 2013–2022 (opens in a new tab)
Cato Institute, June 2024
It counts homicide convictions, using different offenses and years from the main arrest study. It also relies on assumptions about status and population sizes.
Return to reading ↑
Detailed research notes and source data
Our longer notes explain how we checked the studies, including disagreements and documents we could not get.
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These pages have not completed expert review.
Research checked: . Wording reviewed: 2026-10-07. Version: draft-3.
We revisit the page when new evidence or corrections change the answer. A public history of corrections is not available yet.