The impact of immigration status on crime reporting: Evidence from DACA

Abstract

This paper studies how immigration status affects crime reporting. I focus on Deferred Action for Early Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a policy that temporarily protects youth from deportation and provides work authorization. For identification, I compare the reporting behavior of victims who are more likely to be undocumented around the policy’s age-eligibility cut-off over time. I find that DACA eligibility increased victims’ likelihood of reporting crimes to the police and provide evidence consistent with DACA reducing victims’ fear of deportation. Overall, the results suggest that immigrant legalization increases engagement with police.