Does border enforcement deter unauthorized immigration? The case of Mexican migration to the United States of America

Wayne A. Cornelius · Idean Salehyan

111 citations0/0 files storedRegulation & Governance

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Migration and Labor Dynamics Migration, Refugees, and Integration Border Security and International Relations

Abstract

Abstract This paper asks whether the migration decisions of unauthorized Mexican immigrants to the USA have been influenced by stronger US border enforcement efforts since 1993 that have sharply increased the physical risk and financial cost of illegal immigration. These measures were supposed to have decreased the probability of successful entry, thereby lowering the expected benefits of migration. We carried out a logistic regression analysis of data from a recent survey of 603 returned migrants and potential first‐time migrants in rural Mexico. Our findings indicate that tougher border controls have had remarkably little influence on the propensity to migrate illegally to the USA. Political restrictions on immigration are far outweighed by economic and family‐related incentives to migrate. An alternative, labor‐market approach to immigration control with higher probability of effectiveness is outlined.

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References

1999The New Economics of Labour Migration and the Role of Remittances in the Migration Process 2005International Migration, Self‐Selection, and the Distribution of Wages: Evidence from Mexico and the United States 1996The End of the Nation State: The Rise of Regional Economies 1998Why Liberal States Accept Unwanted Immigration 1995Controlling immigration: a global perspective 1995Controlling Immigration: A Global Perspective.2001Death at the Border: Efficacy and Unintended Consequences of US Immigration Control Policy 2000A Reappraisal of the State Sovereignty Debate

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