Immigration and Crime

Dr. Charis Kubrin in conversation with Journalist David Freed

One of society's most persistent myths: that immigrants bring crime to their new countries.

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Charis Kubrin is the Chancellor’s Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California, Irvine. A central portion of Prof. Kubrin’s research examines the immigration-crime nexus and considers the impact of immigration-related policy on immigrants, immigrant families and immigrant communities. Prof. Kubrin has received several national awards from the American Society of Criminology for significant contributions to racial and ethnic issues in the field of criminology. Most recently, she has just returned from Sweden where she was co-recipient of the 2026 Stockholm Prize in Criminology, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for outstanding achievement in criminological research in crime prevention and the promotion of human rights. The irony at the heart of Kubrin’s work is striking: while study after study over the past century has shown immigrants have lower crime rates than native-born populations, public perception stubbornly clings to the opposite belief.

Dr. Kubrin recently co-authored the book Immigration and Crime -Taking Stock, a timely examination of immigration policies and practices and their impact on public safety, a comprehensive resource on questions of linkages between crime and immigration citizenship, and race/ethnicity.