Migrants Committing Fewer Crimes Than Americans in Georgia [Video]

Georgia has begun sharing data on illegal immigrant crime in the state, and it shows non-citizens are committing crimes at a lower rate than their American-born counterparts.

Just over 1,700 illegal immigrants were in jails in the state as of December 2024, making up just 3.3 percent of the overall incarcerated population. Analysis by the Cato Institute estimated that 399 per 100,000 illegal immigrants were being held, compared to 478 per 100,000 American citizens or legal migrants.

Why It Matters

Over the past year, in particular, the notion that there is a wave of crime being committed by illegal immigrants has been pushed by the Republican Party, including President-elect Donald Trump, as part of broader efforts to crack down on immigration.

The data could be seen as going against this viewpoint, despite some high-profile crimes committed by migrants in the past 12 months, including the murders of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Texas and 57-year-old Debrina Kawam, burned alive on the …