Americans are worried about crime. Here’s how politicians leverage it episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 31, 2026 · 17 MIN

Americans are worried about crime. Here’s how politicians leverage it

from Code Switch

"Fighting crime" is often used as a justification for many of the Trump administration's policies — from mass deportations to its actions in Venezuela to its crackdown in Minnesota — despite the fact that crime is at a historic low, and has been falling for decades. We talk to Meg Anderson, NPR’s criminal justice correspondent, about how that taps into Americans' disproportionate fears about crime, and how that makes scenes like what we see in Minneapolis possible.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

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Americans are worried about crime. Here’s how politicians leverage it

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