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People tend to ignore the negative consequences of causes they support. We all want to live in the best possible world, and it's hard to accept that any policy

by ewzimm 10y ago

People tend to ignore the negative consequences of causes they support. We all want to live in the best possible world, and it's hard to accept that any policy we choose will have serious negative consequences. We know for a fact that failing to enforce immigration laws will lead to tens of thousands of murders and kidnappings every year. And yet enforcing them will lead to a lot of misery for those who are deported. There's no convenient solution where everyone wins. It's hard to accept the reality of the situation, and so we often choose to see only one side.

throwaway1216 10y ago
numerous studies going back more than a century have shown that immigrants —regardless of nationality or legal status—are less likely than the native population to commit violent crimes or to be incarcerated http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-mythical-connection-between-immigrants-and-crime-1436916798 http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-mythical-connection-between-...
- deleted 10y ago
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ewzimm 10y ago
There was a response to this which quoted some statistics, including the argument that overall crime had decreased in the USA while the illegal immigration population had increased. I wanted to respond, but it seems to be gone. This trend is true, but this is the kind of statistical manipulation that happens when emotions come into play about these kinds of sensitive issues. Comparing trends in overall crime with the growth of a minority population is misleading, as it's a minor contributor to total crime, even if it is disproportionate, especially in violent crimes. Some arguments even switch briefly to talking about legal immigrants, which is a completely different population. Also, this is an international issue. There's plenty of interesting information in the USA. I like this article because it shows some of the errors on both sides. http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2015/12/04/problems-with-gao-illegal-alien-crime-stats/ http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2015/12/04/problems-w...

by ewzimm 10y ago

throwaway1216 10y ago

numerous studies going back more than a century have shown that immigrants —regardless of nationality or legal status—are less likely than the native population to commit violent crimes or to be incarcerated http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-mythical-connection-between-immigrants-and-crime-1436916798 http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-mythical-connection-between-...

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

ewzimm 10y ago

There was a response to this which quoted some statistics, including the argument that overall crime had decreased in the USA while the illegal immigration population had increased. I wanted to respond, but it seems to be gone. This trend is true, but this is the kind of statistical manipulation that happens when emotions come into play about these kinds of sensitive issues. Comparing trends in overall crime with the growth of a minority population is misleading, as it's a minor contributor to total crime, even if it is disproportionate, especially in violent crimes. Some arguments even switch briefly to talking about legal immigrants, which is a completely different population. Also, this is an international issue. There's plenty of interesting information in the USA. I like this article because it shows some of the errors on both sides. http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2015/12/04/problems-with-gao-illegal-alien-crime-stats/ http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2015/12/04/problems-w...