When the economy improves, crime goes down.
When the economy improves, immigration goes up.

Yeah. I don't know the data at all, but given a choice between 'immigration reduces crime' and 'crime falls and immigration increases when the economy is doing well' I would take a punt on the latter.

Or even, "A place with less crime is more appealing to immigrate to than a crime-infested place."

I really thought/hoped this was a case of the shitty science journalists confusing correlation with causation yet again. Nope! They flat out say int he discussion that immigration is causally related to crime rates dropping, based on correlational data.

I also thought the selection of crimes they looked at (primarily violent ones) kinda looked like cherry-picking. Why would violent crime be the one that goes up when jobs are 'stolen,' as opposed to scams, drug use, prostitution, etc.? Just from the Drumpf quote about all Mexicans being rapists? (Not that I think immigrants cause these to go up, but it seemed like they were hedging their bets with the crimes they selected.)

Sure, when you consider the reasons why people immigrate it only makes sense. But of course it's kind of pointless to ascribe sense and logic to the anti-immigration voices. They have other motivations.

Immigrants are the lifeblood of this country. For a few reasons:

1) Economic. They work. They pay taxes. They live in and support their communities.
2) Cultural. We are a country of immigrants, and our unique mix of cultures is part of what makes America great.
3) Demographic. More white people die every year than are born, and their birth rates are lower than their death rates. Without immigrants, America would be in population decline.
4) Moral. From a secular standpoint, America has been a moral foundation of the world, fighting tyranny and oppression. From a religious standpoint, welcoming immigrants is in line with Christian teachings and beliefs.
5) Political. America has enjoyed relative safety with 2 peaceful neighbors. STOP PISSING THEM OFF.