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The Labor Market Effects of Immigration Enforcement

Author

Listed:
  • East, Chloe N.

    (University of Colorado Denver)

  • Luck, Philip

    (University of Colorado Denver)

  • Mansour, Hani

    (University of Colorado Denver)

  • Velasquez, Andrea

    (University of Colorado Denver)

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of reducing the supply of low-skilled immigrant workers on the labor market outcomes of domestic workers. We use temporal and geographic variation in the introduction of Secure Communities (SC), a county-based immigration enforcement policy, combined with data over 2005-2014 from the American Community Survey to estimate a difference-in-difference model with geographic and time fixed effects. We find evidence that SC had a negative impact on the employment of low-skilled non-citizen workers, who are likely to be directly affected by the policy. Importantly, we also find that SC negatively impacted the employment of citizens working in middle to high-skill occupations. This is the first paper to provide quasi-experimental evidence on the labor market effects of immigration enforcement policies on citizens across the occupational skill distribution, which is of paramount importance given the current immigration policy debates.

Suggested Citation

  • East, Chloe N. & Luck, Philip & Mansour, Hani & Velasquez, Andrea, 2018. "The Labor Market Effects of Immigration Enforcement," IZA Discussion Papers 11486, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp11486
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    immigration policy; international migration; labor demand;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • K37 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Immigration Law

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