Data and Code for: Deterring Illegal Entry: Migrant Sanctions and Recidivism in Border Apprehensions

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Samuel Bazzi, Boston University; Sarah Burns, Institute for Defense Analyses; Gordon Hanson, Harvard University; Bryan Roberts, Institute for Defense Analyses; John Whitley, Institute for Defense Analyses

Version: View help for Version V1

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
AEJPol_2019_0291_Replication			07/09/2020 01:48:PM

Project Citation:

Bazzi, Samuel, Burns, Sarah, Hanson, Gordon, Roberts, Bryan, and Whitley, John. Data and Code for: Deterring Illegal Entry: Migrant Sanctions and Recidivism in Border Apprehensions. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2021. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2021-07-20. https://doi.org/10.3886/E119624V1

Project Description

Summary: Over 2008 to 2012, the U.S. Border Patrol enacted new sanctions on migrants apprehended attempting to enter the U.S. illegally. Using administrative records on apprehensions of Mexican nationals that include fingerprint-based IDs and other details, we detect if an apprehended migrant is subject to penalties and if he is later re-apprehended. Exploiting plausibly random variation in the roll-out of sanctions, we estimate econometrically that exposure to penalties reduced the 18-month re-apprehension rate for males by 4.6 to 6.1 percentage points off of a baseline rate of 24.2%. These magnitudes imply that sanctions can account for 28 to 44 percent of the observed decline in recidivism in apprehensions. Further results suggest that the drop in recidivism was associated with a reduction in attempted illegal entry.

Scope of Project

JEL Classification:
F22 International Migration
J61 Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

Geographic Coverage: United States and Mexico

Time Period(s): 2008 – 2012

Universe: The main data and analysis comprise prime-age Mexican nationals apprehended along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Data Type(s): administrative records data; aggregate data; survey data

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Published Versions

V1 [2021-07-20]

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