New research suggests immigrants are committing fewer crimes than U.S. citizens.

President Trump has labeled undocumented immigrants with higher crime rates, but new data from The Sentencing Project and the Cato Institute appears to cast doubt on the veracity of those claims.

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The Sentencing Project, a criminal justice research group, reports that "foreign-born residents of the United States commit crime less often than native-born citizens."

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12 PHOTOS Day Without Immigrants boycott 2017 See Gallery Day Without Immigrants boycott 2017 Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Washington, DC, U.S., February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY A restaurant worker photographs passing demonstrators as they march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Washington, DC, U.S., February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein Signs are posted for customers of Blue Ribbon, a restaurant, stating that they are closed in solidarity with "A Day Without Immigrants" protests in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid A restaurant on Georgia Avenue is closed in honor of the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Washington, D.C., U.S. February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Jim Bourg A sign in the window of Ted's Bulletin Restaurant on 14th St proclaims it closed in honor of the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Washington, D.C., U.S. February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Jim Bourg NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 16: A Vietnamese cafe and a dry cleaning business stand closed in solidarity with the 'A Day Without Immigrants' boycott/strike, February 16, 2017 in New York City. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration agenda and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) AUSTIN, TX - FEBRUARY 16: Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants, marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. (Photo by Drew Anthony Smith/Getty Images) PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 16: A business is closed as Latino immigrants across Philadelphia skip work on Thursday as part of a 'Day Without Immigrants' campaign on February 16, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Many businesses are closed in hope of showing their economic power and protesting Donald Trump's immigration policies. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images) PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 16: An exterior view of Morning Glory Diner February 16, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With the support of the owner, the majority of the staff, which is Latino, did not come to work as part of a 'Day Without Immigrants' campaign which is aimed at showing their economic power and protesting Donald Trump's immigration policies. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 16: A sign in the window of the popular Brooklyn restaurant Prime Meats explains their solidarity with the 'A Day Without Immigrants,' boycott/strike on February 16, 2017 in New York, United States. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration agenda and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 16: Morning Glory Diner sits empty February 16, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With the support of the owner, the majority of the staff, which is Latino, did not come to work as part of a 'Day Without Immigrants' campaign which is aimed at showing their economic power and protesting Donald Trump's immigration policies. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images) A sign posted for customers hangs on the window of Blue Ribbon, a restaurant, stating that they are closed in solidarity with "A Day Without Immigrants" protests in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Up Next See Gallery Discover More Like This HIDE CAPTION SHOW CAPTION of SEE ALL BACK TO SLIDE

The study concludes that policies restricting immigration are "not effective crime-control strategies."

The Cato Institute found there were 2 million U.S.-born citizens in American jails but only 123,000 undocumented immigrants and 64,000 foreign-born documented residents.

Immigration reform has been a priority for President Trump, who began his campaign for president by labeling many immigrants as "rapists" and drug dealers. Trump's 2018 budget seeks to increase funding to Homeland Security to pay for his proposed border wall and executive orders on immigration.

The Sentencing Project study even goes so far as to suggest that increased immigration "may have contributed to the historic drop in crime rates" since 1990.

10 PHOTOS 11 rich countries with the biggest organized crime problems See Gallery 11 rich countries with the biggest organized crime problems 11. Greece Corruption score: 5.1 The country's huge shipping industry and proximity to Asia creates opportunities for smuggling. (Photo via REUTERS/John Kolesidis) 10. France Corruption score: 5.1 France ranks worse than other large EU countries like Spain, the UK, and Germany. Its Corsican mafia was once heavily involved in the trafficking of heroin into the US, referred to as "the French Connection." (Photo credit BERTRAND LANGLOIS/AFP/Getty Images) 9. Israel Corruption score: 5.1 Israel saw a spike in mafia activity from Russia as it encouraged the immigration from the country after the fall of the Soviet Union. Important figures like Zeev Rosenstein and Itzhak Abergil have been extradited to the US. (Photo via REUTERS/Ariel Schalit/Pool) 8. Germany Corruption score: 5.0 Organised crime is becoming more prevalent in Germany. There is also concern that gangs are targeting the country's new influx of migrants, and recruiting young males as drug dealers and runners. (Photo credit SEBASTIAN WILLNOW/AFP/Getty Images) 7. South Korea Corruption score: 4.9 Gangs known as "Kkangpae" operate in South Korea. Like Japan's Yakuza, they also often have tattoos that identify their affiliation. (Photo by Andrey Shchekalev via Getty Images) 6. United States of America Corruption score: 4.9 Despite its wealth, the US is placed roughly in the middle of the global rankings for organised crime, in 70th place. (Photo via REUTERS/Rick Wilking) 5. Slovak Republic Corruption score: 4.9 Slovakia is the second-worst ranked country in Europe for organised crime. Three lists of organised-crime associates and groups have been leaked in the country. It ranks at 74th place, exactly halfway down the ranks. (Photo by Richard Radford via Getty Images) 4. Turkey Corruption score: 4.8 As a gateway into Europe, Turkey is a predictable route for drug trafficking from the east, which the Turkish mafia takes advantage of. Turkish organised criminals also have a presence in London, and the country takes 77th place. (Photo via REUTERS/Stringer) 2. Italy Corruption score: 3.5 Italy, the symbolic home of the Mafia, is by far the worst-ranking EU country for organised crime, coming in 122nd place of 138. (Photo by Stefano Montesi/Corbis via Getty Images) 1. Mexico Corruption score: 2.6 Powerful and violent cartels have brought Mexico to the edge of civil war.Only Honduras, Venezuela, and El Salvador fare worse than the country in the security index. (Photo credit should read PEDRO PARDO/AFP/Getty Images) Up Next See Gallery Discover More Like This HIDE CAPTION SHOW CAPTION of SEE ALL BACK TO SLIDE

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