Does immigration enforcement reduce crime?
President Donald Trump has turbo-powered immigration enforcement efforts in the U.S. As of March 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was detaining approximately 60,000 people. The agency is now the best-funded law enforcement organization in the country. The Trump administration claims that expanded immigration enforcement will reduce crime. But does the data support that? Teo tells Clare about the recent history of immigration enforcement in the U.S. and explains what information we have on its relationship to crime.
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Sources in this episode:
- ICE Detention and Deportation by the Numbers, Austin Kocher, Substack, 2026
- Deportation Data Project, University of California, Berkeley, 2026
- The Human and Financial Costs Rack Up as Immigration Detention Expands, Martin Kaste, NPR, 2026
- Rethinking Immigration Enforcement, Charis E. Kubrin, Scholars Strategy Network, 2025
- Immigration Enforcement and Public Safety, Felipe M. Gonçalves, Elisa Jácome, Emily K. Weisburst, National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper, 2024
- Immigration and Crime: Taking Stock, Charis E. Kubrin and Graham C. Ousey, SpringerBriefs in Criminology, 2023
- Immigrant Organizations and Neighborhood Crime, Young-An Kim, John R. Hipp, Charis E. Kubrin, Sage Journal, 2022
- Effects of Immigrant Legalization on Crime, Scott R. Baker, American Economic Review, 2015
- 7 Reasons to Abandon the Secure Communities Program, Charis E. Kubrin, Criminology and Public Policy, 2014
- Does Immigration Enforcement Reduce Crime? Evidence from Secure Communities, Thomas J. Miles and Adam B. Cox, The Journal of Law and Economics, 2014
- Interview with Professor Charis E. Kubrin, University of California, Irvine, 2026
- Interview with Phil Neff, University of Washington Center for Human Rights, 2026
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Teo Popescu
Design, Graphics, and Data Editor
Teo is the KUOW newsroom's design, graphics, and data editor. She manages all data visualizations, graphics, illustrations, and news video projects for kuow.org and Instagram. She also leads design and development for KUOW’s interactive enterprise graphic projects. She specializes in visualizing complex bureaucratic processes and budgets.
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Clare McGrane
Senior Producer
Clare is the senior producer and co-host of Control F, a podcast about the data that shapes our daily lives. Clare and co-host Teo Popescu answer big questions about how our world works — from your personal finances to the morning weather report — by digging though data. Clare is also the show's senior producer, managing Control F's production schedule and listener engagement.
More stories from Clare McGrane »
