Immigrants as victims of crime

Abstract

Wherever immigrants go they are perceived to be potential criminals. Rarely noticed is the extent to which they are the victims of crime, Hans von Hentig (1948) noticed, however, not only because he was a pioneer victimologist but also because he was an immigrant, himself, an experience he described as quite painful. Since his time, victimology has developed into a full-blown specialty and migration at the global level has burgeoned to unprecedented levels. We are living in the age of migration. International migration today is part of a transnational revolution that is reshaping the globe and creating ample opportunities to criminally victimize immigrants. Immigrants are the victims of all kinds of crime-from serious violence (murder, rape, robbery) to property crime (larceny) to fraud (numerous kinds, many designed specifically to fleece immigrants) and even to minor offenses such as violations by landlords of city ordinances regarding the conditions of rental properties.