PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Sandra Orozco-Aleman
AU  - Heriberto Gonzalez-Lozano
TI  - Drug Violence and Migration Flows
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.53.3.0215-6948R4
DP  - 2018 Jul 01
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 717--749
VI  - 53
IP  - 3
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/53/3/717.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/53/3/717.full
SO  - J Hum Resour2018 Jul 01; 53
AB  - We examine the effect of the increase in violence that Mexico experienced after launching an aggressive campaign against drug-trafficking organizations on immigration into the United States. We instrument for violence using electoral cycles and consider two channels through which violence impacts migration: local and transit violence. Violence at the municipality of residence increased migration. Conversely, violence on the route to the United States deterred individuals from migrating. Back-of-the-envelope calculations show that between 2007 and 2012, local and transit violence had an overall positive effect on migration. Violence was responsible for a 1.53 percentage point increase in the migration rate.