Steve Chapman on Donald Trump and the Myth of Immigrant Crime
(Gage Skidmore / photo on flickr)
Donald Trump sees himself as a martyr to the truth. All he did was point out that among the foreigners who have come to this country are some who do not scrupulously abide by all our criminal laws—only to be pilloried for his honesty.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best," he said when he announced his presidential campaign. "They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists."
But, Steve Champan notes, the actual data doesn't support Trump's anecdotes. Violent crimes are not higher in the parts of America where immigrants are settling.