Federal-Local Partnerships on Immigration Law Enforcement: Are the Policies Effective in Reducing Violent...

Area of Science:

• Criminology
• Sociology
• Public Policy

Background:

• Existing research on immigration enforcement and crime relies on police data.
• This study addresses a gap by examining the impact of specific immigration policies on victimization risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of three predominant immigration policies on violent victimization risk.
• To analyze differential impacts across racial and ethnic groups.

Main Methods:

• Utilized longitudinal multilevel data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) spanning 2005-2014.
• Simultaneously evaluated the effects of Secure Communities, 287(g) task force agreements, 287(g) jail enforcement agreements, and anti-detainer policies.

Main Results:

• Secure Communities and 287(g) task force agreements significantly increased violent victimization risk for Latinos.
• No significant impact on victimization risk was observed for non-Latino Whites and Blacks.
• 287(g) jail enforcement agreements and anti-detainer policies showed no significant effect on violent victimization risk.

Conclusions:

• Secure Communities and 287(g) task force agreements did not enhance public safety and increased Latino violent victimization.
• Findings support the cessation of 287(g) task force agreements and the Secure Communities program.
• Evidence challenges claims that anti-detainer policies increase violence risk.