Regarding the Cal Thomas commentary (PDN, Jan. 30), I’d like to offer some clarification, as Thomas seems to have spent most of his word count in error.
American Immigration Council crime data between 1980-2022, the most recent available, shows as immigrant populations grew, crime declined.
In 2022, immigrant population was 13.9 percent, while violent crime rate fell by 34.5 percent, and property crime rate fell by 63.3 percent.
FBI data analyzed from 2022 shows that, in all 50 states, there was no statistically significant correlation between the immigrant population and the total crime rate.
Simply put, higher immigrant populations are not associated with higher crime rates.
And fentanyl flowing like rivers of debauchery across the border? FactCheck.org, an Annenberg Public Policy Center publication, would like a word, Mr. Thomas.
While the total amount of fentanyl smuggled into the country each year is unknown because comprehensive data does not exist, the federal government does track how much is seized from people entering the country at or between legal entry ports.
U.S. Customs and Border Control data show that, in 2024, 21,148 pounds of fentanyl was seized by officials at the southwest border, most intercepted from American citizens.
Whoops, fact check, much?
Mr. Thomas and his ilk would like you to believe that the “dirtbags,” as newly minted but highly-unqualified Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem called undocumented immigrants, are responsible for nearly all violent crime in the United States.
Don’t fall for it.
Erin Kirkland
Agnew