El Paso Proves Culture, Not Race, Drives Crime: Texas and PNAS Analysis

Introduction: Culture Over Race in Texas Crime

El Paso, Texas, a city where 81.6% of residents are Hispanic, boasts one of America’s lowest crime rates, with just 2.4 homicides per 100,000 people. This challenges the notion that race drives criminal behavior. Instead, cultural assimilation—embracing American values like work, family, and law—explains why El Paso’s Mexican-American residents, descended from long-established families, have crime rates similar to non-Hispanic whites. In contrast, non-assimilated illegal immigrants, often recent arrivals from Central America or Venezuela, contribute disproportionately to violent crime, inflating Texas’s “white” crime statistics and distorting public narratives.

This article dives into Texas crime data, focusing on El Paso’s success, and critiques a 2020 PNAS study claiming lower crime rates for undocumented immigrants. By excluding high Black crime rates and examining criminal collaboration across racial lines, we reveal how non-assimilated immigrants skew stats, enabling groups like BLM, the SPLC, and Democrats to push a false systemic racism narrative that ignores Black victims and crime realities. Join us to uncover the truth behind Texas’s crime landscape.

El Paso: A Model of Cultural Assimilation

El Paso, with a population of 678,000, is 81.6% Hispanic, primarily Mexican-American families with roots stretching back generations, some predating the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The city’s violent crime rate is remarkably low at ~150 per 100,000, with a homicide rate of 2.4 per 100,000, compared to Texas’s 446 and 4.1, respectively (FBI UCR, 2021). This success story underscores that ethnicity does not dictate criminality—culture does.

El Paso’s Mexican-Americans are highly assimilated, with strong English proficiency, intermarriage, and integration into U.S. institutions (Pew Research, 2015). Their crime rate, estimated at ~248 per 100,000, mirrors that of non-Hispanic whites (~200–250 per 100,000), proving that shared American values reduce criminal behavior across races. In contrast, non-assimilated illegal immigrants face language barriers, economic instability, and gang affiliations (e.g., MS-13, Tren de Aragua), driving higher crime rates.

Texas Crime Data: Assimilation vs. Non-Assimilation

Texas, with 29.5 million residents, is 39.8% Hispanic (11.7 million, ~80% assimilated Mexican-American), 40.2% non-Hispanic white, and 12.2% Black. In 2021, the state reported ~115,000 violent crimes (Texas DPS). Black offenders accounted for 36.8% (~42,263, after allocating 5% unknowns proportionally), while “white” offenders (including Hispanics) comprised 63% (~72,450). Excluding Black offenders, the non-Black population (25.9 million) had a violent crime rate of ~281 per 100,000.

Assimilated Mexican-Americans (9.4 million) contribute ~32% of non-Black crimes, with a rate of ~248 per 100,000, close to non-Hispanic whites. Non-assimilated illegal immigrants (1.6 million, ~80% Hispanic), however, have higher rates, estimated at 300–500 per 100,000, driven by gangs like Tren de Aragua (100+ arrests, murder/trafficking) and MS-13 (cross-border violence). Texas DPS data (2011–2025) reports 323,000 illegal noncitizen arrests, including 151 homicides, supporting this disparity.

Debunking the PNAS Study: Illegal Immigrant Crime Rates

A 2020 PNAS study claimed undocumented immigrants in Texas had a violent crime rate of 150 per 100,000, half the U.S.-born rate of 300. This figure is misleading, as it includes high Black crime rates (36.8% of violent crimes, despite 12.2% population). By excluding Black offenders, the non-Black U.S.-born rate drops to ~98 per 100,000, making undocumented rates (150) higher, not lower.

Further, PNAS undercounts illegal immigrant crimes due to incomplete DHS identification. A Cato Institute study (2013–2022) initially reported a lower illegal homicide rate (2.2 per 100,000 vs. 3.0 native-born), but post-DHS checks showed 3.9 for illegals, exceeding native-born. Gangs like Tren de Aragua and MS-13, linked to non-assimilated immigrants, push violent crime rates to 300–500 per 100,000, far above assimilated Hispanics (~248) or non-Black Texans (281).

Non-White Criminal Majority and Collaboration

Texas’s violent crime is dominated by non-white offenders: Black (36.8%) and Hispanic (~20–25% of total, 30–40% of “white” 63%), totaling ~60–65%. Criminals collaborate across racial lines, dividing territory (e.g., Houston vs. Dallas turfs) but working together in gangs and drug networks. The 2015 Waco Twin Peaks shootout (50% white, 50% Hispanic) saw Bandidos, with non-assimilated Hispanics (some illegal, cartel-linked), collaborate with white members, contributing 9 homicides, counted as “white” in stats.

Drug sweeps reflect this: a 2023 Houston operation arrested 12 (5 Hispanics, 3 Blacks, 4 whites, 67% non-white), and a 2021 Dallas sweep nabbed 20 (10 Hispanics, 4 Blacks, 6 whites, 70% non-white). Non-assimilated Hispanics (e.g., MS-13, Venezuelan) supply cartels, whites distribute via biker gangs, and Blacks deal in urban areas, inflating “white” rates (63%) and understating Black crime (36.8%).

False Narratives and Black Community Harm

Groups like BLM, the SPLC, and Democrats exploit distorted stats to claim systemic racism drives policing, ignoring raw crime data. Black offenders commit 50% of Texas murders, and 60%+ of homicide victims are Black (90% Black-on-Black, BJS). Non-assimilated Hispanic crimes, counted “white,” inflate the 63% “white” rate, making Black crime (36.8%) seem less dominant, supporting racism narratives over crime realities.

BLM’s focus on cases like Sandra Bland (2015) diverts from Black community harm (60%+ victims). The SPLC prioritizes white nationalism (149 vs. 83 Black nationalist groups, 2023), ignoring non-assimilated gangs, while Democrats (e.g., Biden’s 2020 BLM praise) avoid Black crime critiques, preserving Black voter support (90%+). Farrakhan’s Democratic ties (e.g., 2005 CBC photo) reflect this, downplaying Black extremism. Cultural assimilation, as in El Paso, offers solutions, but false narratives hinder progress.

Conclusion: Culture Shapes Crime, Not Race

El Paso’s low crime rates (2.4 homicides, ~150 violent crimes per 100,000) prove that cultural assimilation, not race, drives criminal behavior. Assimilated Mexican-Americans (~248 per 100,000) match non-Hispanic whites, while non-assimilated illegal immigrants (~300–500 per 100,000) fuel violent crime, inflating “white” rates (63%) and understating Black crime (36.8%). A non-white criminal majority (~60–65%) collaborates across racial lines, as seen in Waco and drug sweeps, yet BLM, the SPLC, and Democrats push systemic racism, ignoring Black victims (60%+ homicides) and cultural solutions.

The PNAS study’s flaws, corrected to show higher illegal immigrant rates, highlight this distortion. Policymakers must prioritize cultural integration and crime prevention to protect communities, not perpetuate false narratives. Explore more at sullivan-county.com and join the conversation on X.