Research

“The Impact of Immigration Status on Marriage: Evidence from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals”

In June 2012, the Obama Administration announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program that grants work authorization and deportation relief to unauthorized immigrants who entered the US as children. I estimate the effect of DACA on marriage. I focus on the probability of being married and, conditional on marriage, the probability of being married to a US citizen or US native, and the spouse's English fluency. Proxying for DACA eligibility using the American Community Survey, and focusing on Hispanic immigrants, I use a difference-in-differences strategy, finding that DACA eligibility increases the probability of being married by approximately 2 percentage points, an estimate that is likely a lower bound. I provide evidence that the expanded labor market opportunities offered by DACA amplify its effect on marriage among men and attenuate it among women. I also find that DACA’s relaxation of deportation risk reduces the incentives to marry, more conclusively among women. For those who do marry, I find that DACA induced individuals to marry more assimilatively, as captured by more frequent marriages to US-born citizens and fluent English speakers.

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Online Appendix

“The Impact of Limited English Funding on Immigrant K-12 Performance"

“The Impact of Low Income Housing Tax Credits on Moves to Opportunity,” with Henry Downes and George Zuo

“The Impact of Immigrant Movers on Neighbors’ Voter Registration,” with Ethan Kaplan, Jaren Pope, and Nolan Pope