Study: Baltimore’s Murder Rate Outpaces Central America’s Most Dangerous Countries

BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 23: A woman walks past a "We Must Stop Killing Each Other" sign after
Mark Makela/Getty Images

The murder rate of Baltimore, Maryland, is set to continue to be higher than Central America’s most dangerous countries, analysis finds.

Research by Princeton Policy Advisors’ Steven Kopits reveals that Baltimore has long had a higher murder rate than the most crime-ridden nations of Central America, where thousands of migrants flee from every year.

Based on the current rate of murders in Baltimore, Kopits projects that Baltimore’s murder rate for 2019 will come in at about 56 murders per 100,000 people — making it more than twice as dangerous as the country of Guatemala.

To date, there have been nearly 200 murders in Baltimore since the beginning of the year.

(Screenshot via Princeton Policy Advisors)

Meanwhile, El Salvador had a murder rate of 50 murders per 100,000 people in 2018, lower than Baltimore’s despite the violent MS-13 gang holding its headquarters in the small Central American country.

Likewise, Honduras is projected to have a murder rate of 38 murders per 100,000 people this year, while Guatemala had a murder rate of about 22 murders per 100,000 people in 2018.

“That Baltimore’s murder rate is higher than the most dangerous countries’ in Central America is frankly appalling on many levels,” Kopits wrote.

Since 2015, Baltimore has had a murder rate higher than Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador — the Central American regions that left-wing politicians, open borders advocates, and the big business lobby have said are too dangerous for nationals to live and thus the U.S. should admit their populations as asylees and refugees.

Analysis this year by the Baltimore Sun reviewed the city’s murder rate where about 309 residents were killed and found that more than half had been shot in the head. In total, about 175 murder victims last year in Baltimore died from fatal gunshot wounds to the head, accounting for 57 percent of all murder victims. This is a jump from the years prior when 45 percent of murder victims died from fatal gunshot wounds to the head in 2017, and 47 percent in 2016.

Last week, President Trump called out Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) for criticizing the conditions at the U.S.-Mexico border while representing a district with extreme poverty, high crime, and severe public health issues.

“His district is considered the Worst in the USA……” Trump wrote on Twitter. “….As proven last week during a Congressional tour, the Border is clean, efficient & well run, just very crowded. Cumming[‘s] District is a disgusting, rat and rodent-infested mess. If he spent more time in Baltimore, maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous & filthy place.”

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.