Violent Crime and Immigrant Removals: Reasons and Determinants of Immigrant Deportations, 1908-1986

This research describes and explains changes in non-citizen deportations from the United States between 1908 and 1986. Using data from historical immigration yearbooks, we first document and quantify the primary reasons given for removing immigrants from U.S. soil. A key finding is that perceived dispositional defects and threatening behavior (e.g., criminal behavior, mental or physical defects) accounted for a large proportion of deportations in the early 20th century, but these gave way to administrative rationales (e.g., improper documentation) as immigration law and the enforcement bureaucracy expanded. Results of time-series analyses further suggest that the homicide rate is correlated with deportations for administrative reasons and with deportations based on perceived dispositional defects and threatening behavior. Implications and relevance for understanding current immigration debates are discussed.