Immigration

Overview
Featured Expert(s)
Elisa Jácome

IPR economist Elisa Jácome studies public policy issues centered on immigration, crime, and mental health and how these issues intersect.
Rob Voigt

IPR computational linguist Rob Voigt develops natural language processing and machine learning methods to better understand the linguistic mechanisms of the social world.
Benjamin Jones

Strategy professor and IPR associate Benjamin Jones studies the sources of economic growth in advanced economies, with an emphasis on innovation, entrepreneurship, and scientific progress.
Research Roundup
People Born in the U.S. Are More Likely to Commit Crimes Than Immigrants
A study by IPR economist Elisa Jácome shows that before 1960, immigrants’ incarceration rates were nearly identical to White U.S.-born men, but since 1960, immigrants as a group are less likely to be incarcerated. Today, immigrants are 30% less likely to be imprisoned.
Immigrant Enforcement Can Impact Trust in Law Enforcement
IPR economist Elisa Jácome studies the impact of the U.S. Secure Communities program, which increased information sharing between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, on public safety. She finds that Hispanic individuals were 30% less likely to report crimes to the police after Secure Communities was implemented and Hispanic residents were also significantly more likely to be victims of crimes.Children of Immigrants Have Higher Rates of Economic Mobility Than Their U.S.-Born Peers
Research looking at immigrants’ intergenerational mobility by IPR economist Elisa Jácome reveals that children of poor immigrants today earn more than the children of poor U.S.-born parents. The immigrants’ upward movement today follows the same pattern as children of poor immigrants who arrived in the late 1800s and early 1900s.How Have U.S. Politicians Talked About Immigrants Across History?
In a study looking at political speeches about immigrants from 1880 to 2020, IPR computational linguist Rob Voigt finds that since World War II, speeches by presidents and members of Congress are more likely to be positive than in the past. However, Mexican immigrants today, like the Chinese in the 19th century, are special targets and categorized by words like "crime," "labor," and "legality."