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IZA Discussion Paper No. 18613
April 2026
Immigration Enforcement, Sanctuary Cities, and Rising Hispanic Suicide Rates

I estimate the causal impact of the US Secure Communities (SC) program, which expanded deportation risk nationwide, on Hispanic suicide rates. Using the staggered county rollout (2008–2013) and a triple difference-in-differences design, I identify heterogeneous effects relative to non-Hispanic Whites. Among adults 34 and older, SC increases suicides by 2 percent, driven entirely by men, who experience a 12 percent rise, while women see declines. Effects are strongest for men 45 and older. I find that local employment conditions likely drive these effects, as lower unemployment mitigates impacts and deaths of despair among Hispanic men rise substantially.

Communications
Mark Fallak
mark.fallak@liser.lu
+352 585-855-526
World of Labour
Olga Nottmeyer
olga.nottmeyer-ext@liser.lu
+352 585-855-501
Network Coordination
Christina Gathmann
christina.gathmann@liser.lu

The IZA@LISER Network is a global community of scholars dedicated to excellence in labor economics and related fields, now coordinated at the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) following its transition from Bonn.

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