Immigration Enforcement and Crime

In 2008, the federal government implemented a data-sharing system (Secure Communities) designed to facilitate the identification and deportation of criminal aliens in the custody of local law enforcement agencies.Proponents of the program argued that it would increase public safety by preventing known criminal aliens from being released back into U.S. communities. Opponents countered that it would harm public safety by reducing cooperation between immigration communities and local law enforcement agencies. Using the the staggered roll-out to estimate the crime and policing effects of this program, we do not observe a detectable effect.

Working Papers

Estimating the Effects of Immigration Enforcement on Local Policing and Crime: Evidence from the Secure Communities Program (w/ Aaron Chalfin and Elina Treyger)

Published Papers

Immigration Enforcement, Policing, and Crime: Evidence from the Secure Communities Program (w/ Aaron Chalfin and Elina Treyger)

Collaborators

Aaron Chalfin

Elina Treyger