The Effect of Immigration Enforcement on School Engagement: Evidence From 287(g) Programs in North Carolina

Abstract

During the past 15 years, immigration enforcement increased dramatically in the U.S. interior. There is a growing recognition that immigration enforcement in the U.S. interior has spillover effects onto U.S. citizens. I examine the impacts of a type of partnership between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local law enforcement, 287(g) programs, on school engagement within North Carolina. In North Carolina, nine counties were approved to establish 287(g) programs, and another 15 applied but were not approved to participate. I use a triple difference strategy in which I compare educational outcomes for different groups of students in these two sets of counties before and after activation of 287(g) programs between 2003/2004 and 2012/2013. I find that 287(g) programs decrease school engagement by decreasing attendance. This effect appears to be driven by increabes in chronic absenteeism (missing 15 or more days per year).

Repercussions of a Raid: Health and Education Outcomes of Children Entangled in Immigration Enforcement

“…Consistent with prior research (Bellows, 2021; Kirksey, 2020; Kirksey & Sattin‐Bajaj, 2021; Kirksey et al., 2020), we observed a substantial spike of nearly 15 percentage points in COI student daily absence rates in the week immediately following the raid in Hamblen County, and an estimated 33 percent increase in the monthly absence rate in the raid month compared to average absence rates in prior Aprils. Our estimate of the immediate increase in student absences is closer in magnitude to that of Kirksey (2020), who specifically investigated incidents involving high numbers of immigration arrests.…”

“…These additional burdens borne by children living with unauthorized family members also affect their educational engagement, with research showing that they are more likely to be disruptive in the classroom, absent from school, held back to repeat a grade, or to drop out of school (Amuedo-Dorantes & Lopez, 2015;Bellows, 2021;Capps et al 2007;Chaudry et al 2010;Kirksey & Sattin-Bajaj, 2021). Amuedo-Dorantes and Lopez (2015) examined the intensification of interior immigration enforcement in the U.S. and found that its largest negative impacts were on younger children, ages 6 to 13 years, whose probability of repeating a grade rose by 6 percent and likelihood of dropping out of school increased by a staggering 25.2 percent.…”

“…Their findings corroborated those of Bellows (2019), who analyzed the staggered implementation of the Secure Communities immigration enforcement program and found that the activation of Secure Communities and increases in deportations contributed to declines in average academic achievement among both Hispanic and Black students. In her research on the 287(g) program in North Carolina (in which state and local law enforcement officers cooperate with federal enforcement of immigration laws), Bellows (2021) showed that these immigration enforcement efforts decrease student engagement in school through their effects on increasing rates of chronic absenteeism (missing 15 or more days per year). Kirksey and Sattin-Bajaj (2021) examined the effects of immigration arrests in California and found that for each standard deviation increase in immigration arrests, student absenteeism increased by 5 percentage points and secondary math achievement declined by 0.17 standard deviations.…”

“…These additional burdens borne by children living with unauthorized family members also affect their educational engagement, with research showing that they are more likely to be disruptive in the classroom, absent from school, held back to repeat a grade, or to drop out of school (Amuedo‐Dorantes & Lopez, 2015; Bellows, 2021; Capps et al. 2007; Chaudry et al.…”

Local Policing and the Educational Outcomes of Undocumented College Students

“…A large body of research shows that adoption of these two programs reduced public school enrollment of Hispanic children (Amuedo-Dorantes and Lopez 2015; Dee and Murphy 2020), decreased the average achievement of Hispanic and Black students (Amuedo-Dorantes and Lopez 2015; Bellows 2021), raised poverty levels (e.g., Amuedo-Dorantes et al 2018), and increased the food and housing insecurity of Hispanic households (e.g., Amuedo-Dorantes et al 2018;Potochnick et al 2017;Rugh and Hall 2016). Additional research demonstrates that apprehensions and detentions by Customs and Border Protection agents along the border (e.g., Amuedo-Dorantes et al 2021;Brabeck and Xu 2010;Patler and Gonzalez 2021) and immigration raids conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (e.g., Amuedo-Dorantes and Antman 2022; Bellows 2021;Capps et al 2007;Lopez et al 2017;Novak et al 2017;Santillano et al 2020) negatively affect the social and economic outcomes of immigrant families.…”