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Deterring Illegal Entry: Migrant Sanctions and Recidivism in Border Apprehensions

Author

Listed:
  • Samuel Bazzi
  • Gordon Hanson
  • Sarah John
  • Bryan Roberts
  • John Whitley

Abstract

During the 2008 to 2012 period, the US Border Patrol enacted new sanctions on migrants apprehended while attempting to enter the United States 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 reapprehended. Exploiting plausibly random variation in the rollout of sanctions, we estimate econometrically that exposure to penalties reduced the 18-month reapprehension rate for males by 4.6 to 6.1 percentage points off of a baseline rate of 24.2 percent. 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.

Suggested Citation

  • Samuel Bazzi & Gordon Hanson & Sarah John & Bryan Roberts & John Whitley, 2021. "Deterring Illegal Entry: Migrant Sanctions and Recidivism in Border Apprehensions," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 13(3), pages 1-27, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:13:y:2021:i:3:p:1-27
    DOI: 10.1257/pol.20190291
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    Cited by:

    1. Heepyung Cho, 2022. "Border enforcement and the sorting and commuting patterns of Hispanics," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(4), pages 938-960, September.
    2. Simone Bertoli & Morgane Laouenan & Jérôme Valette, 2022. "Border Apprehensions and Federal Sentencing of Hispanic Citizens in the United States," Sciences Po Economics Publications (main) hal-03818735, HAL.
    3. Cai, Shu & Zimmermann, Klaus F., 2024. "Social identity and labor market outcomes of internal migrant workers," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    4. Tjaden, Jasper & Heidland, Tobias, 2024. "Did Merkel's 2015 decision attract more migration to Germany?," Open Access Publications from Kiel Institute for the World Economy 294184, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    5. Pia M. Orrenius & Madeline Zavodny, 2019. "Do Immigrants Threaten U.S. Public Safety?," Working Papers 1905, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
    6. Michel Beine & Michel Bierlaire & Frédéric Docquier, 2021. "New York, Abu Dhabi, London or Stay at Home? Using a Cross-Nested Logit Model to Identify Complex Substitution Patterns in Migration," LISER Working Paper Series 2021-01, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).
    7. Pia Orrenius, 2019. "Enforcement and illegal migration," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 1-81, November.
    8. Kovak, Brian K. & Lessem, Rebecca, 2020. "How do U.S. visa policies affect unauthorized immigration?," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 92-108.
    9. Liu, Wen & Xu, Zhicheng, 2025. "Lost in translation: Dialect distance, social assimilation and immigrant crimes in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    10. Hale Utar, 2018. "Firms and Labor in Times of Violence: Evidence from the Mexican Drug War," CESifo Working Paper Series 7345, CESifo.
    11. Timothy J. Hatton, 2020. "Asylum Migration to the Developed World: Persecution, Incentives, and Policy," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 34(1), pages 75-93, Winter.
    12. Hammoud-Gallego, Omar, 2024. "The short-term effects of visa restrictions on migrants’ legal status and well-being: A difference-in-differences approach on Venezuelan displacement," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    13. Joseph-Simon Görlach, 2023. "Borrowing Constraints and the Dynamics of Return and Repeat Migration," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 41(1), pages 205-243.
    14. Albuquerque Sant'Anna, André & Costa, Lucas, 2021. "Environmental regulation and bail outs under weak state capacity: Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon11The authors gratefully acknowledge Antonio Ambrózio, Juliano Assunção, Arthur Bragança, Filipe ," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    15. Treb Allen & Cauê de Castro Dobbin & Melanie Morten, 2018. "Border Walls," NBER Working Papers 25267, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Andreas B. Vortisch & Evangelos Paschalidis & Michel Beine & Michel Bierlaire, 2025. "From Aspiration to Action? The Impact of Germany's 2015 Dublin III Suspension on Migration Intentions in Arab Countries," CESifo Working Paper Series 11952, CESifo.
    17. Sofía Fernández Guerrico, 2023. "Trade Shocks, Population Growth, and Migration," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/357236, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy
    • K37 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Immigration Law

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