Statewide sanctuary policies and female homicide rates, 2016–2021

Abstract

The current study examines whether state immigration enforcement policies, such as sanctuary policies that limit local police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, are associated with female homicide rates in the United States (2016–2021). We examine crude female homicide rates from the National Violent Death Reporting System (N = 244 state-years), which we stratify by race and ethnicity (Hispanic of all races, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White) and victim–suspect relationship (domestic vs. stranger homicide). State-years with policies that are more protective of immigrants were not associated with higher homicide rates for any group. Instead, state-years with these policies reported significantly lower rates of stranger-perpetrated homicide rates among Hispanic females and White non-Hispanic females. Results contribute to the understanding of whether immigration enforcement policies (e.g., sanctuary policies) are associated with violence, with a particular focus on women, an underexamined group in immigration and homicide research.