Fenced Out: The Impact of Border Construction on US-Mexico Migration

Benjamin Feigenberg

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2020, vol. 12, issue 3, 106-39

Abstract: This paper estimates the impact of the US-Mexico border fence on US-Mexico migration by exploiting variation in the timing and location of US government investment in fence construction. Using Mexican survey data and data I collected on fence construction, I find that construction in a municipality reduces migration by 27 percent for municipality residents and 15 percent for residents of adjacent municipalities. In addition, construction reduces migration by up to 35 percent from non-border municipalities. I also find that construction induces migrants to substitute toward alternative crossing locations, disproportionately deters low-skilled migrants, and reduces the number of undocumented Mexicans in the United States.

JEL-codes: J15 J24 J61 K37 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:12:y:2020:i:3:p:106-39

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DOI: 10.1257/app.20170231

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