How to lie with statistics … or, perhaps, just the wording? With respect to more U.S. citizens being sentenced for fentanyl trafficking than illegal immigrants, while the implication is this means more citizens are actually engaged in smuggling, the statistics don’t necessarily support this conclusion. That is, perhaps illegals are more successful at it than citizens. We don’t know how many illegals are engaged in it. Citizens caught at it are coming across the border where they are subject to inspection; illegals are not. Most illegals are only going to do it once; citizens may be involved on a number of occasions.
How to lie with statistics … or, perhaps, just the wording? With respect to more U.S. citizens being sentenced for fentanyl trafficking than illegal immigrants, while the implication is this means more citizens are actually engaged in smuggling, the statistics don’t necessarily support this conclusion. That is, perhaps illegals are more successful at it than citizens. We don’t know how many illegals are engaged in it. Citizens caught at it are coming across the border where they are subject to inspection; illegals are not. Most illegals are only going to do it once; citizens may be involved on a number of occasions.