Card #13: Crime in America

What’s at Stake for You in Election 2024?

Crime in America – Harris / Walz

Many Americans fear becoming victims of violent crime, which they perceive as rampant, particularly in large cities and immigrant communities. However, recent data and reports suggest this is not the case.

Crime Rates: FBI statistics show a significant decline in crime rates in the first quarter of 2024, with violent crime down 15.2% and property crime down 15.1% compared to 2023. This downward trend has continued since the 1990s despite a spike in 2020.

Immigrant Crime: US Customs and Border Patrol data for 2024 up to August 16 shows 14,697 noncitizen criminal arrests, with only 1.65% charged with drug-related or violent crimes. This aligns with data since 2017. A May 2024 Brennan Center for Justice report confirms that the recent surge of immigrants at the US-Mexico border has not increased overall crime.

Police Reform: Following George Floyd’s tragic death in Minneapolis in May 2020, significant police reforms were enacted. Within sixty days, Governor Tim Walz’s special legislative session banned chokeholds and excessive force and restricted no-knock warrants. Vice President Kamala Harris has advocated for police demilitarization and reallocating funds from police to education, social services, and jobs.

Gun Safety: Vice President Harris also leads the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Her efforts are focused on reducing gun violence and ensuring that firearms are kept out of the hands of domestic abusers, violent felons, and children. She advocates for measures such as universal background checks, red flag laws, and an assault weapons ban. Emphasizing the urgency of addressing gun violence, Harris stated, “We have to end this epidemic of gun violence in this country once and for all. It doesn’t have to be this way.”

Crime in America – Trump / Vance

Many Americans fear becoming victims of violent crime, which they perceive as rampant, particularly in large cities and immigrant communities. However, recent data and reports suggest this is not the case.

Crime Rates:  Though the overall crime rate continued to fall, violent crime spiked toward the end of the Trump administration, with a significant increase in homicides and shootings. According to data from the Gun Violence Archive, in 2020, there were 19,000 non-suicide gun deaths, the highest rate in 20 years. 

Immigrant Crime:  Despite Mr. Trump’s claim that undocumented immigrants increase crime rates, several studies show that communities with concentrations of immigrants have significant decreases in violent crime. A Texas study cited by the Brennan Center for Justice shows that undocumented immigrants are 47% less likely than native-born Americans to be convicted of a crime. 

Police Reform:  In June 2020, Mr. Trump signed an executive order establishing a national police misconduct database, promoting de-escalation training, and banning excessive force, including chokeholds. More recently, he has advocated for the increased militarization of police departments and more aggressive policing tactics that include deploying the US military against protesters and immigrants. He has also threatened to withhold federal funding from police departments that do not implement policies such as stop-and-frisk or assist in mass deportations.Additionally, Mr. Trump has called for defunding the Department of Justice and the FBI to halt investigations into his activities.

Gun Safety:  Mr. Trump has vowed to reverse all Biden-Harris gun restrictions, proudly stating, “During my four years, nothing happened despite great pressure on me regarding guns. We did nothing; we didn’t yield.”