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Beyond the hype: Unauthorized immigrants and the myth of rising house price

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  • Chen, Steven Shu-Hsiu
  • Huang, Xinhui
  • Li, Wei

Abstract

A recent social and economic issue has addressed public attention: whether unauthorized immigrants drive up local housing prices. This study focuses on this issue and finds no significant relationship between unauthorized immigrants and general house price growth for each state in the U.S. We prove the robustness of this insignificance by addressing the endogeneity issue and applying alternative variables to measure house prices and the number of unauthorized immigrants. This study highlights the importance of ensuring political and public discourse based on evidence and rigorous analysis rather than oversimplified narratives.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Steven Shu-Hsiu & Huang, Xinhui & Li, Wei, 2025. "Beyond the hype: Unauthorized immigrants and the myth of rising house price," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:75:y:2025:i:c:s1544612325001503
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2025.106885
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Unauthorized immigrants; House price; Housing affordability; Regulatory freedom;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E6 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook
    • G1 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets
    • R1 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics

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