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Make America safer? interior deportation for non-serious offenses and crime
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Make America safer? interior deportation for non-serious offenses and crime

Jihye Park, Rene R. Rocha, Stephanie M. DiPietro, Thomas D. Stucky and Qianyi Shi
Journal of crime & justice
04/10/2026
DOI: 10.1080/0735648X.2026.2655788

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Abstract

Deportation practices have expanded from the borders to the interior of the United States with the stated goal of enhancing public safety, including removals for serious and non-serious offenses. This research examines the effects of immigration enforcement using interior deportation data under the Secure Communities (S-comm) Program (2009-2016). Negative binomial regression models show that interior deportation practices for less serious offenses are consistently unrelated to crime. More importantly, deportations for minor offenses are associated with higher crime in U.S. counties. This study’s findings suggest reconsideration of S-comm enforcement practices, as interior deportation practices are ineffective at best or, in the case of deportation for minor offenses, make communities less safe.
coercive mobility Immigration control interior deportation

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