Fenced Out: The Impact of Border Construction on US-Mexico Migration | Zendy

Benjamin Feigenberg | Zendy

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Fenced Out: The Impact of Border Construction on US-Mexico Migration

Author(s) -

Benjamin Feigenberg

Publication year - 2020

Publication title -

american economic journal applied economics

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 12.996

H-Index - 82

eISSN - 1945-7782

pISSN - 1945-7790

DOI - 10.1257/app.20170231

Subject(s) - fence (mathematics) , investment (military) , government (linguistics) , geography , survey data collection , business , demographic economics , economic growth , economics , political science , politics , engineering , linguistics , philosophy , statistics , mathematics , structural engineering , law

This paper estimates the impact of the US-Mexico border fence on US-Mexico migration by exploiting variation in the timing and location of US government investment in fence construction. Using Mexican survey data and data I collected on fence construction, I find that construction in a municipality reduces migration by 27 percent for municipality residents and 15 percent for residents of adjacent municipalities. In addition, construction reduces migration by up to 35 percent from non-border municipalities. I also find that construction induces migrants to substitute toward alternative crossing locations, disproportionately deters low-skilled migrants, and reduces the number of undocumented Mexicans in the United States.

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