California Criminal Lawyers

California – the sunshine state – holds the number one place of any state in the union for the highest number of serial rapes and murders, sexual homicides, and child molestation committed by an illegal immigrant. According to an in depth study, conducted by Deborah Schurman-Kauflin, Ph.D. of the Violent Crimes Institute in Atlanta, Georgia. California is closely followed by Texas, Arizona, New Jersey, New York, and Florida. Dr. Schurman-Kauflin’s study included various sources including ICE reports (U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement), public records, police reports, and media sources. This study was done over a 12 month period, the only in-depth study of its kind using a sample group of 1,500 cases out of a pool of roughly 12,000,000.What the study revealed was of all illegal immigrants apprehended in the United States a whopping 2% of them are sex offenders. This 2% figure translates into a staggering 240,000 illegal immigrant sex offenders to date. (Schurman-Kauflin, 2006)

To make this point clear, 240,000 illegal immigrant sex offenders that law enforcement is aware of, which may pale in comparison to numbers released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children who put’s the number of registered sex offenders around 716,000. (Markon., 2009)

This means there are 12 serial sexual offenders and 93 sex offenders entering the United States every day Monday through Friday. The 1,500 offenders in this study had a total of 5,999 victims. Each sex offender averaged 4 victims. The report went on to say that these numbers place the estimated number of victims for duration of the study at 960,000. This is a greater number than the known offenders themselves or, 960,000 people that didn’t have to become victims in the first place.

But who are these faceless, nameless victims that are so easily dismissed as mere additions to the ever rising statistics? To elaborate in detail the nature of the attacks of the 1,500 cases or rather people singled out for study. Five hundred twenty-five of them or (35%) were child molestations. Numbers not included in the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children statistics .The offenders choose victims who are easy to attack as children are more vulnerable. Victims ranged from 1 to 13 years old with the average age being 6. Three hundred fifty-eight of the victims or (24%) were rapes, one of the most violent and brutal crimes. In these cases, offenders were less likely to know their victims. In fact, only 64% of the victims knew their attackers. The next most likely victims were African American women. These women suffered brutal attacks. Most often, a weapon was used to control the victim. The victims suffered beatings while being raped over 70% of the time, 67% of the victims suffered sodomy during their attacks as well. Victims ranged in age from 16-79 and averaged age 23. (Schurman-Kauflin, 2006)

3% of all the rapes of innocent women were done by illegal immigrant who had earned the title of serial rapists. Each serial rapist averages 5 victims with the number of victims ranging from 2 to 11. Two serial rapists were confirmed HIV positive, and another offender had a venereal disease according to the study. This translates into at least four victims being exposed to HIV.  It must also be pointed out that nearly all the offenders had prior records back home in Mexico. Only 2% of the offenders in this study have no history of criminal behavior beyond crossing the border illegally. Six hundred seventeen of the cases resulted in sexual homicides or serial murders, the most vicious and brutal of this category of crimes. 6% of the victims were mutilated in addition to rape. This suggests that these crimes were committed by an angry, perpetrator personality. Their attacks are particularly brutal, and the attacker uses a hands-on method of controlling and/or killing their victims. Caucasian females were the number one target. Hispanics were second, and African Americans were third. Victims ranged in age from 16-81. (Schurman-Kauflin, 2006)

One of the most startling revelations of the study revealed of child molestations that 47% of the victims were Hispanic (most illegal immigrants themselves), 36% were Caucasian, 8% were Asian, 6% were African American, and 3% were other nationalities. As the numbers demonstrate, victims are victims; no one can guess what compels an attacker to choose one person over another. As in most instances of attacks of a sexual nature, the offenders were familiar with their victims. Furthermore, 82% of the victims were known to their attackers. The other 18% were molested by strangers. In most cases involving illegal immigrants, the offenders gained access to their victims working as day labor at or near the victims’ homes. Offenders are extremely mobile, work in low skilled jobs, generally licentious, have little family stability which suggests that these attackers are opportunists. Furthermore, being highly mobile makes them harder to track down.

Another disturbing discovery in Dr. Schurman-Kauflin’s finding was that in 22% of all sex crimes committed by illegal immigrants, involved physical and mentally disabled citizens. These disabled victims were each under age 18. In those cases, again the offender knew their victims.

These sex criminals range in age from 16-69. The study showed child molesters average age to be 32. The average age of rapists was 26, and murderers averaged age 28. A trend emerged through the doctor’s research to say that these offenders are becoming younger. (Schurman-Kauflin, 2006)

These offenders averaged 4 victims each multiplied by the number of offenders known. This becomes a staggeringly frightening number. Nearly 63% had been deported on another offense prior to the sex crime as stated earlier. 81% of offenders were abusing either drugs or alcohol before committing their crimes.

The fact of the matter is that most of the illegal immigrant offenders were released back into society. Those who were deported just returned illegally again. There is a clear pattern of criminal growth from misdemeanors to sex crimes. (Schurman-Kauflin, 2006) In addition, law enforcement reported in the Washington Post tracking registered sex offenders, in and out of prison is becoming more and more difficult as well.  (Markon., 2009)

However the ACLU has a different view on illegal immigrants’ activities and how federal and local law enforcement is unfairly targeting “undocumented immigrants” under the criminal penalties rather than immigration laws. According to www.aclu.org, “In recent years, states and localities around the country have increasingly attempted to use state and local laws to impose criminal penalties on undocumented immigrants, and the federal government has increasingly chosen to criminally prosecute individuals who violate federal immigration laws rather than rely on the extensive federal civil enforcement scheme.” (Cincotta, C. (2010, Feb 5)

The piece went on to say, “More important, the federal government’s decision to prosecute more immigration violations criminally has diverted resources from prosecution of serious violent and property crimes. As federal prosecutions for immigration law crimes such as illegal entry have increased dramatically with prosecutors, choosing to pursue 97% of all such crimes referred to them, federal prosecutors have had less time for prosecutions for gun trafficking, public corruption, organized crime, and white-collar crime. Prosecutors currently only pursue charges on about 50% of white collar crimes sent to them by law enforcement. Localities and states that attempt to expend criminal justice resources targeting undocumented immigrants may reduce public safety overall.” (Cincotta, 2010)

“In addition, immigrants are not more likely to commit crimes than other residents of the United States. Studies have shown that increased immigration does not lead to increased crime and that immigrants are less likely to be incarcerated for violating criminal laws than non-immigrants. And a study of those immigrants most likely to be undocumented has concluded that they are not only substantially less likely to be incarcerated than non-immigrants, but may even be less likely to be incarcerated than other immigrants to the United States.” (Cincotta, 2010) An important note to mention is that 70% of all the inmates in California prisons are “undocumented immigrants”.

Works Cited

Markon., J. (2009, 23 nov). Washington Post. Retrieved march 25, 2010, from CBSNEWS: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/23/politics/washingtonpost/main5748686.shtml

Cincotta, C. (2010, Feb 5). ACLU. Retrieved Feb 25, 2010, from http://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/criminalizing-immigrants-unlawful-and-harmful-public

Schurman-Kauflin, D. (2006). Retrieved Feb 25, 2010, from Dr. Schurman-Kauflin: http://www.drdsk.com/articles.html#Illegals

Originally published here.

The story—part memoir, part hard-hitting expose—of a first-year law associate negotiating the arduous path through a system designed to break those who enter it before it makes them.

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