Immigration Enforcement and Crime

7 Pages Posted: 30 Jan 2015 Last revised: 8 Apr 2015

See all articles by Paolo Pinotti

Paolo Pinotti

Bocconi University - BAFFI Center on International Markets, Money, and Regulation

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

Pinotti, Paolo, Immigration Enforcement and Crime (January 28, 2015). BAFFI CAREFIN Centre Research Paper No. 2015-2, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2557943 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2557943

Paolo Pinotti (Contact Author)

Bocconi University - BAFFI Center on International Markets, Money, and Regulation ( email )

Milano, 20136
Italy

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