During a recent House hearing, several members of Congress stated as fact that illegal immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than U.S.-born citizens.

Americans have heard the same claim from politicians, pundits, activists, and much of the media for years. It is often presented not as one interpretation of the available evidence, but as a settled fact. The message is delivered with such confidence that questioning it is portrayed as rejecting science rather than asking a reasonable question.

They may be right. They may be wrong.

But if the evidence is so clear, why doesn't the federal government collect and publish comprehensive national data that allows every American to examine the evidence for themselves?

That shouldn't be a controversial question.

No comprehensive national system tells us how many crimes are committed by people who are in the country illegally. The FBI's national crime reporting does not include verified immigration status. Most state and local agencies do not collect or report it in a standardized way. Immigration status is not consistently tracked from arrest through prosecution and conviction across the country.

Instead, Americans are left with competing studies, state-level data, and political arguments.

The disagreement is not imaginary. Researchers at the Cato Institute have concluded that illegal immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than native-born Americans. Researchers at the Center for........

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