We model illegal immigration across the US-Mexico border into Arizona, California, and Texas as an unobservable variable applying a Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes model. Using state-level data from 1985 to 2004, we test the incentives and deterrents influencing illegal immigration. Better...

We analyse the impact that political business cycles and party preferences have on smuggling illegal goods across the US--Mexico border during the years 1980--2004. We find that smuggling is significantly reduced prior to Congressional elections -- but only if the incumbent President is Republican.

We study the smuggling of illegal and legal goods across the U.S.-Mexico border from 1975 to 2004. Using a Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) model we test the microeconomic determinants of both smuggling types and reveal their trends. We find that illegal goods smuggling decreased from...