Fear and the Safety Net: Evidence from Secure Communities
This paper studies how changes in deportation fear induced by the roll-out of Secure Communities (SC), a far-reaching immigration enforcement program, affected the demand for safety net programs in the United States. We estimate the spillover effect of SC on the take-up of federal means-tested programs by Hispanic citizens, who are not themselves eligible for removal. We find significant declines in SNAP and SSI enrollment, particularly among mixed-citizenship status households. The response is muted for Hispanic households residing in sanctuary cities. Our results are most consistent with network effects that perpetuate fear rather than lack of benefit information, measurement error, or stigma.
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Copy CitationMarcella Alsan and Crystal Yang, "Fear and the Safety Net: Evidence from Secure Communities," NBER Working Paper 24731 (2018), https://doi.org/10.3386/w24731.Download Citation
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Published Versions
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, DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_01250. citation courtesy of 
Marcella Alsan & Crystal S. Yang, 2024. "Fear and the Safety Net: Evidence from Secure Communities," Review of Economics and Statistics, vol 106(6), pages 1427-1441.
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