TRENDS IN ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: A PRODUCT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY OR ECONOMIC DECLINE?
Open Access
Author:
Rowell, Alexandra Noelle
Area of Honors:
Political Science
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
David H Carter, Thesis Supervisor David H Carter, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Gretchen G Casper, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
illegal immigration; American immigration
Abstract:
Immigration has become a hot topic over the years. Current events show that the immigration debate is not an issue that will die any time soon. Recent literature covers a vast array of themes when it comes to illegal immigration. Researchers generally agree that economic indicators deter illegal immigration more than government enforcement measures. However, there have been no studies or literature using statistical techniques to compare the influence of these two factors. The goal of this thesis is to fill in the comparative gap. Data involved in this project covers the period of 1994-2008. The independent variable of this study is the inflow of illegal immigrants into the U.S. per year. The four independent variables analyzed are government apprehension rates of aliens, Border Patrol employment numbers, U.S. percent change in GDP, and the U.S. unemployment rate of foreign-born persons. All are per annum as well. Through the statistical analysis of these variables, it was found that the only significant factor was the unemployment rate of foreign-born persons.
