Can Sanctuary Policies Reduce Domestic Violence?

Domestic violence remains a serious public problem, especially in Hispanic communities, where one in three women are victims of domestic violence in their lifetimes. Yet 50 of victims report the incidents, often because of concerns over police officers asking about their immigration status of the status of their family members. We assess the extent to which the implementation of sanctuary policies, which limit the cooperation of local law enforcement with federal immigration authorities, affect domestic homicide rates—a crime rarely unreported. We find that sanctuary policies reduce domestic homicides with a Hispanic female victim, especially in counties with more female officers. In contrast, the effect is smaller in magnitude in counties with mandatory arrest laws for domestic violence already in place. Overall, the results are suggestive of the protective role of sanctuary policies in Hispanic communities.