Full Citation
Title: State-Level Enforcement of Unauthorized Migration and Self-Employment Among Mexican-Born Men
Citation Type: Conference Paper
Publication Year: 2012
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Abstract: This paper uses a survey-based equation in order to assign probable legal status to foreign-bornindividuals in the 2005-2009 American Community Surveys (ACS). We then examine the respectiveeffects of the recession and state-level immigration enforcement measures on participation in the informaleconomy (approximated by self-employment in certain occupations) among Mexican immigrant men, aswell as how these effects vary depending on ones citizenship and immigration status. Participation in theinformal economy increased among Mexican immigrant men nationwide, and increases were especiallysharp among the unauthorized after the start of the recession in Fall 2008. Beyond the recession effectson the prevalence of self-employment among Mexican-born men, states implementing policies aimed atrestricting access to the formal labor market among unauthorized immigrants (namely, Arizona), sawespecially steep increases in low-skilled self-employment. While these increases were concentrated primarily among the unauthorized in Arizona, it appears that the states restrictive policies may also have pushed Mexican-born legal residents into the informal sector. We conclude by discussing the policy implications of the findings.
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Authors: Leach, Mark A.; Van Hook, Jennifer; Bachmeier, James D.; Bean, Frank D.
Conference Name: Population Association of America
Publisher Location: San Francisco, CA
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Migration and Immigration, Other
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