Forbes Features Faculty Research Findings on Immigration & Drug-Related Deaths

Forbes magazine recently featured research co-authored by Diana Sun, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Criminology & Criminal Justice, and published in Criminology, one of the premier journals in this discipline. The researchers examined the links between immigration flows and community drug problems at the county level, over time. Findings reveal that immigration is not associated with higher levels of overdose or homicide deaths, and when effects are significant, immigration is linked to lower levels of overdose mortality across multiple substances and destination types. 

Excerpt from Forbes:

"Blaming immigrants for drugs and crime is a longtime strategy of politicians seeking votes. However, research shows immigrants are associated with fewer drug overdoses and homicides in an area, the opposite of what several office seekers have argued." Read full article

Citation:

Feldmeyer, B., Sun, D., Harris, C.T., & Cullen, F.T. (2022). More immigrants, less death: An analysis of immigration effects on county-level drug overdose deaths, 2000-2015. Criminology, 60(4), 667-699. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9125.12318

Furthermore, the American Society of Criminology’s Division of Communities and Place awarded Sun the Ruth D. Peterson and Lauren J. Krivo Graduate Study Scholar Award, for her research on the macro-level predictors of violence across various racial groups. Sun was recognized for this accomplishment at ASC’s meeting in Atlanta earlier this month. 

Citation:

Sun, D., & Feldmeyer, B. (2022). Racial invariance or Asian advantage: Comparing the macro-level predictors of violence across Asian, White, and Black populations. Race and Social Problems, 14(2), 114-130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-021-09344-1