Crimmigration: The Criminalization of Immigration Enforcement

What is Crimmigration?

Undocumented entry into the United States is not a crime — it is a civil immigration matter. Under U.S. law, people may legally enter the country without documentation for the purpose of seeking asylum, and doing so is a lawful and protected act. Despite this, undocumented entry is frequently mischaracterized as criminal, a distortion that falsely equates immigration status with criminality and fuels harmful narratives about immigrants.

Crimmigration is the name given to the deep and growing overlap between the U.S. criminal justice system and immigration enforcement. Historically, criminal law and immigration law operated in separate spheres — criminal courts handled crimes, and immigration courts handled matters of entry and removal. Today, those lines are blurred: people who come into contact with police or the courts for minor offenses can find themselves pulled into federal immigration detention and removal proceedings, even if they have never been convicted of a serious crime.

This convergence of systems turns immigration status into a liability and uses criminal law as a tool of exclusion, punishment, and deportation. It fuels fear, erodes due process, and puts entire families at risk of separation simply for seeking opportunity, safety, or a better life in the United States.

Why It Matters in Spokane and Beyond

Crimmigration is not abstract — it has real and devastating effects on people and communities across Washington and nationwide:

• Criminal records can lead to deportation or detention: Non-citizens, including permanent residents and long-time community members, may face harsh immigration consequences because of criminal charges or interactions with law enforcement that would not affect U.S. citizens.
• Minor offenses have major consequences: Charges that might result in a fine or probation for a citizen can trigger removal proceedings for undocumented immigrants and those with precarious immigration status.
• Fear and distrust of law enforcement grow: When everyday interactions with police — stops, arrests, even fingerprinting — can result in deportation, many community members are afraid to report crimes, seek help, or access essential services.

Crimmigration disproportionately impacts people of color and immigrants from the Global South, reinforcing systemic racism and inequality in our legal systems.

Recommended Reading

Behind Crimmigration: ICE, Law Enforcement, and Resistance in America

BUY AT AUNTIE’S

What We’re Calling For

Policy & System Change

• Continue to disallow local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement that turns every arrest into an immigration enforcement opportunity.
• Ensure that criminal justice reforms include protections for non-citizen community members facing deportation as a collateral consequence.

Advocate for immigration proceedings that uphold full due process and protect families from unnecessary separation.

Community Support

• Support legal education and resources for immigrants and their families about their rights in criminal and immigration contexts.

Partner with local immigrant and refugee organizations like Manzanita House and Latinos En Spokane to build community-based safety nets and alternatives to policing that don’t endanger people’s residency or livelihood.