Effects of Immigrant Legalization on Crime

Scott Baker

American Economic Review, 2015, vol. 105, issue 5, 210-13

Abstract: I examine the effects that the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), which legalized almost 3 million immigrants, had on crime in the United States. I exploit the IRCA's quasi-random timing as well as geographic variation in the intensity of treatment to isolate causal impacts. I find decreases in crime of 3-5 percent, primarily due to decline in property crimes, equivalent to 120,000-180,000 fewer violent and property crimes committed each year due to legalization. I calibrate a labor market model of crime, finding that much of the drop in crime can be explained by greater labor market opportunities among applicants.

JEL-codes: J15 J18 K42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20151041
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (42)

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