Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

The current era of mass deportation has disrupted a record number of families and households in immigrant communities. In most cases, when a parent is deported, the rest of the family stays in the United States. However, deportations can have broad ramifications for family housing stability, with effects sizeable enough to be detected in social science surveys. I use linear regression models with metro area and year fixed effects to analyze households responding to the Current Population Survey and merge these observations with contextual, administrative data from the implementation of a national immigration enforcement program (Secure Communities). I find metro residents in multi-family homes who live under the same roof with Hispanic noncitizens are the most likely to experience housing instability in high deportation areas. By contrast, other residents – including those living with non-Hispanic noncitizens – are not similarly affected by living in high deportation areas. In addition to disrupting housing stability among families living in areas with high immigration enforcement, mass deportations can also undermine our shared stake in the concept of residential membership.