Immigration Enforcement and Crime
7 Pages Posted: 30 Jan 2015 Last revised: 8 Apr 2015
Date Written: January 28, 2015
Abstract
Immigration enforcement has ambiguous implications for the crime rate of undocumented immigrants. On the one hand, expulsions reduce the pool of immigrants at risk of committing crimes, on the other they lower the opportunity cost of crime for those who are not expelled. We estimate the effect of expulsions on the crime rate of undocumented immigrants in Italy exploiting variation in enforcement toward immigrants of different nationality, due to the existence of bilateral agreements for the control of illegal migration. We find that stricter enforcement of migration policy reduces the crime rate of undocumented immigrants.
Keywords: immigration, enforcement, crime
JEL Classification: K37, K42
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation