Immigration

Assessing the Relationship Between Immigration Status and Drug Use

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Publication Date: 
September 22, 2010
Author(s): 
Charles M. Katz, Andrew M. Fox, Michael D. White

The immigration–crime connection has been the basis for numerous immigration policy decisions. However, there are theoretical arguments and empirical evidence both for and against the positive relationship between immigration and crime. Moreover, much of this research has failed to focus specifically on illegal immigrants. The current study examines drug use patterns among 3,050 recently booked arrestees in Maricopa County, Arizona, from April 2007 to September 2008.