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Fear and the Safety Net: Evidence from Secure Communities

Author

Listed:
  • Marcella Alsan

    (Harvard Kennedy School, BREAD, and NBER)

  • Crystal S. Yang

    (Harvard Law School and NBER)

Abstract

We study the effects of Secure Communities, an immigration enforcement program that dramatically increased interior removals of Hispanic noncitizens from the United States, on participation in means-tested social insurance programs among co-ethnic citizens. Exploiting county-level variation in the roll-out of enforcement together with its ethnic specificity, we find that Hispanic-headed citizen households significantly reduced their participation in two large federal safety net programs. Our results are most consistent with network effects that propagate fear through minority communities rather than stigma or lack of benefit information.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcella Alsan & Crystal S. Yang, 2024. "Fear and the Safety Net: Evidence from Secure Communities," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 106(6), pages 1427-1441, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:restat:v:106:y:2024:i:6:p:1427-1441
    DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_01250
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    JEL classification:

    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty
    • K00 - Law and Economics - - General - - - General (including Data Sources and Description)
    • K37 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Immigration Law

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