Immigration Enforcement and Children Suicides

• In Event: The Health Consequences of Forced Migration and Democratic Erosion

Abstract

This paper examines how the Secure Communities immigration enforcement program causally affects suicide rates among Hispanic youth. Using the program's staggered county-level adoption from 2008-2013, I employ difference-in-differences estimation to identify causal effects. Secure Communities increased suicide rates among Hispanic children aged 5-14 by 0.19 additional suicides per county (approximately 600 additional deaths nationally). The effects among broader Hispanic youth groups were statistically insignificant, though I cannot rule out harmful impacts. I find significant heterogeneous effects by local policy context: counties with sanctuary ordinances experienced declining suicide rates after program implementation, while non-sanctuary counties saw increases. This divergence demonstrates that local policies can effectively mitigate the adverse mental health effects of federal immigration enforcement. These findings highlight the importance of targeted mental health support for young children and reveal how community-level policy choices can buffer vulnerable populations from federal enforcement activities. 

Author

• Hussain Hadah, Tulane University
  Presenting Author