The Impact of Section 287(g) on Migrants’ Remitting Behavior

Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes, San Diego State University
Thitima Puttitanun, San Diego State University

We investigate how increased immigration enforcement at the local level may have impacted the remitting behavior of Latin American and Caribbean migrants in the United States. In addition to curtailing immigrant inflows, increased immigration enforcement may have disrupted the cyclical pattern of much Latin American and Caribbean migration, weakened their ties with their home communities and, in turn, their remittance outflows. Alternatively, tougher immigration policies may actually induce migrants to remit more as a self-insurance mechanism. Using data from the Mexican Migrant Project, the Latin American Migration Project, and the 287(g) agreements signed between local law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, we test which of the aforementioned hypotheses is confirmed by the data by means of a quasi-experimental approach. The analysis provides us with a better understanding of how immigration policy in the United States may impact remittance flows crucial for the region.