Criminalized by Design: How U.S. Immigration Policy Hurts Families, Not Crime Rates

“Criminalized by Design: How U.S. Immigration Policy Hurts Families, Not Crime Rates” Immigration Congressional Policy Brief May 21, 2025Dirksen Senate Office Building1) Charis Kubrin, UCI Criminology, Law & Society, “The Myth of the Criminal Immigrant: How Policy Based on Fear Fails Us All” Immigration-related policies founded on an assumption of widespread immigrant criminality or claims of a strong immigration-crime link are likely to be ineffective at reducing crime, and can lead to significant collateral consequences for individuals, families and communities.2) Irene Vega, UCI Sociology, “Who Enforces, and Why? Rethinking Immigration Agents, Training, and Oversight” The major lesson of my work is that we need major structural changes in the U.S. immigration system, including: decoupling of immigration and criminal law, divesting from for-profit prisons and other corporations that shape immigration enforcement policy, and a fundamental rethinking of how we hire and train immigration agents.3) Beth Baker, UCDC Anthropology, “The Hidden Costs of Mass Deportation” Trump is promising to deport millions of people with long-standing ties to US society. The economic costs are enormous: immigration enforcement, detention, and deportation constitute the largest single federal law enforcement cost to the nation. The human costs are even more significant. 4) Ernesto Castaneda, American University, CLALS, “The Mental Health Toll of Immigration Enforcement” Many immigrants face significant trauma in their countries of origin and immigration law enforcement creates new stressors that exacerbate PTSD, depression, and anxiety. These conditions can be minimized through programs that aid immigrant integration and mental health.Moderated and organized by: Tanya Golash-Boza, Director, University of California, DC Center