1

Does increased labor market scarcity lead to more local anti-immigration enforcement? We answer this question by evaluating the impact of three national economic shocks on the likelihood that a county sheriff forms a partnership with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the form of 287(g) contracts. Looking at the universe of signed county-level agreements between 2002 and 2020, we separately use a long-difference, instrumental variables approach and a difference-in-differences design to evaluate the effects of the rise of automation, import competition from China, and the Great Recession. We find that effects of economic shocks on immigration policy depends on their nature. While increased exposure to the rise in automation and import competition did not lead to differential adoption of a 287(g), commuting zones severely impacted by the Great Recession saw large increases. A possible mechanism to explain the differing results is the differential migration response of foreign-born individuals. The results of this paper highlight that general economic anxiety can lead to the enactment of anti-immigration policy; therefore, it is an important channel to consider when discussing the forces that drive sentiment towards immigrants.

In response to growing concerns over the academic preparation of college-going students, policy makers have suggested increasing the rigor of high school classes. However, there are concerns over whether differential expectations may exacerbate existing inequities in participation. By evaluating the Academic Acceleration Program (AAP), this paper examines whether switching the default of advanced coursework enrollment encourages high school students to take dual-credit courses. I estimate the impact of qualifying for AAP using a fuzzy regression discontinuity design to evaluate subsequent education outcomes, such as on-time graduation, final high school grade point average, matriculation into any public college, remedial coursework, and the number of credits attempted/earned in the first year of college. I find that students just qualifying for AAP based on their English Language Arts (ELA) test scores increase their likelihood of taking a relevant dual-credit course by 8 percentage points. The first-stage results are stronger for boys, ever FRPL and White students. However, qualification for AAP does not significantly alter education outcomes. As policymakers continue to discuss the expansion of these programs, it’s important to understand whether and for which groups of students these classes are beneficial.