Republican Senator Jim Banks of Indiana has raised an alarm about gaps in crime reporting that obscure the realities surrounding immigrant crime in the United States. In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, he addressed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, calling for reforms that would compel local and state law enforcement agencies to collect essential data on immigration status, national origin, and ethnicity of those arrested. The current system, the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), only allows for optional collection of ethnicity and does not require authorities to report immigration status, a situation that Banks argues has led to significant underreporting of crimes committed by illegal aliens.
According to Banks, the lack of clear data is unacceptable and contributes to misconceptions about the level of crime associated with immigration. He pointed out that while the Department of Justice tracks some aggregate statistics regarding citizenship within state prison populations, crucial distinctions between legal immigrants and illegal aliens remain absent. Furthermore, the data collected does not encompass offenders in local jails, where approximately one-third of the inmate population resides.
Calling for a more robust framework for crime data reporting aligns with the intent of a 2017 executive order from President Donald Trump that aimed to enhance law enforcement capabilities by improving crime data collection and distribution. “The overwhelming majority of crime happens at the state and local level,” Banks emphasized. He noted that states and localities have the primary responsibility for reporting the citizenship status of offenders, yet they largely neglect to track this crucial information.
In his letter, Banks expressed concern over the implications this data gap has for public understanding of crime. “Even though many individuals entering the country have a violent past, critical gaps in crime data reporting keep the American people from understanding when and how often these individuals and other aliens commit crimes once they are here,” he wrote. He referenced a study by the Center for Immigration Studies highlighting that between 2011 and 2016, non-citizens made up 21 percent of those convicted of non-immigration crimes, despite being only 8.4 percent of the adult population at that time.
This study further revealed troubling statistics, showing that non-citizens were disproportionately represented in serious crime categories. They accounted for substantial percentages of convictions in serious offenses such as kidnapping, drug trafficking, and money laundering. These figures paint a stark picture of the potential risks tied to immigration status, a claim that Banks believes warrants attention from lawmakers and the public alike.
“The United States has a serious and growing problem with immigrant crime,” Banks asserted. He made it clear that any crime committed by someone in the country illegally is one too many. Yet, he underscored the importance of transparency in order for American citizens and their representatives to grasp the full scope of the issue and shape immigration policy accordingly.
In closing, Banks’ call to action emphasizes the need for thorough reporting and accountability in crime data related to immigration. By urging authorities to make these critical changes, he seeks to shed light on a matter he sees as vital for public safety and informed policymaking.
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