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Associate Professor of Political Science

When Threat Mobilizes: Immigration Enforcement and Latino Voter Turnout

Title

When Threat Mobilizes: Immigration Enforcement and Latino Voter Turnout

Publication Type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2016
Authors ,
Journal
Political Behavior
Volume
38
Issue
2
Start Page
355
Pagination
355–382
Date Published
06/2015
Abstract

Immigration enforcement, and deportation in particular, has been shown to have social and psychological effects on the non-deported as well, but its political effects have gone largely unexamined. I use the staggered implementation of Secure Communities, an information-sharing program between the federal government and local law enforcement, to estimate the short-term effects of stricter immigration enforcement on Latino voter turnout. A difference-in-differences analysis indicates that enrollment in Secure Communities led to an increase in county-level Latino voter turnout of 2–3 percentage points. This relatively large effect appears due to greater Latino activism in the wake of program implementation, rather than individuals responding to particular police interactions. These results extend the existing literature on mobilization in response to threat, demonstrate that policies can have far-reaching and unexpected political implications, and suggest that the current immigration debate may have major consequences for the future makeup of the American electorate.