The truth about illegal immigration and crime Donald Trump's presidential campaign moved quickly to tie the killing of a Georgia nursing student, allegedly by a Venezuelan migrant who entered the country illegally in 2022, to the surge of undocumented immigrants at the southern border under the Biden administration. His campaign posted a video that, with pounding music, combines news clips about the case with clips of Biden administration officials assuring people that the border was secure. It ends with a blunt message: "You're not safe in Joe Biden's America." Never mind that violent crime rates, especially for homicide in large cities, have fallen sharply during Biden's presidency, after a surge during the pandemic. Trump, as he often did during his presidency, is using anecdotal evidence to make an emotional case against undocumented immigrants. The high stakes of the immigration debate in the 2024 election was illustrated when both Biden and Trump made visits to the border on Thursday. Here's the rub: There is little evidence that immigrants — or even undocumented immigrants — cause more crime. Still, there is enough ambiguity in the data — or so little hard data — that it's difficult to point to conclusive findings that would change opinions. In a comprehensive report, we surveyed the latest research on whether undocumented immigrants commit more crimes — especially violent crimes — than native-born Americans. Please click the link to learn more. Enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to someone else who'd like it! If this email was forwarded to you, sign up here. Did you hear something fact-checkable? Send it here; we'll check it out. Trump's claim that he's long worked 'hand in hand' with Black people During a recent appearance before a group of Black conservatives, Trump said: "Unlike racist Joe Biden, I have spent my entire life working hand in hand with Black Americans to create jobs, build buildings, invest in our communities and expand opportunities and freedom for citizens of every race, religion, color. I built a lot of buildings. I want to tell you, a Black worker is a great worker. You've done an incredible job." Trump's reference to his career as a real estate builder who supported Black people prompted us to take a walk down memory lane. Trump's troubled history with Black people was covered when he first ran for president in 2016, but it's time for a refresher course now that he is seeking the presidency again. You could begin the story in the 1950s, when Trump's father, Fred, became the subject of a protest song, "Old Man Trump," written by one of his tenants, folk singer Woody Guthrie, who objected to the all-White environs of his apartment complex. "I suppose that Old Man Trump knows just how much racial hate he stirred up in that bloodpot of human hearts when he drawed that color line here at his Beach Haven family project … Beach Haven is Trump's Tower / Where no black folks come to roam," the lyrics go. Please click the link to learn more. We're always looking for fact-check suggestions. You can reach us via email, Twitter (@GlennKesslerWP and @AdriUsero) or Facebook. We're also on TikTok. Read about our process and rating scale here, and sign up for the newsletter here. About the cats: It's a Friday and sometimes our fact checks deal with heavy subjects. So we hope to bring a smile to your face. Scroll down to read other immigration fact checks |
No comments:
Post a Comment