Full Citation

Title: How Much Does Amnesty Strengthen the Safety Net? Evidence from the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2017

ISBN:

ISSN:

DOI:

NSFID:

PMCID:

PMID:

Abstract: We explore how immigrant legal status affects safety net transfers using variation from the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), which authorized the largest U.S. amnesty to date. Exploiting the timing and geographic unevenness in intensity of IRCA’s legalization programs, we estimate a sizable effect of permanent residency on Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) transfers. By contrast, we find null but imprecise effects of legal status on food stamp transfers. Fiscal costs are partially offset by increased state income tax revenues due to increased rates of income tax filing. These findings suggest that previous studies have understated the relationship between legal status and total family resources, particularly for families with children, and that legalization redistributes resources toward areas more affected by immigration.

Url: https://www.dartmouth.edu/~ethang/cascio&lewis_march2017.pdf

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Cascio, Elizabeth, U; Lewis, Ethan, G

Publisher: Dartmouth College and NBER

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Migration and Immigration, Other

Countries: United States