The Changing Geography of American Immigration and its Effects on Violent Victimization: Evidence from the National Crime Victimization Survey

The purpose of this research is to examine the link between immigration and the risk of minority victimization. To achieve this goal, the study will examine three related topics: (1) the immigration history/gateway type and characteristics of places (states, metropolitan areas, and counties); (2) the availability of police, social services, civic organizations and religious groups in these geographic areas; and (3) the extent to which macro social factors, such as residential segregation and labor market supply, influence violent victimization. Data is drawn from several sources: 2008-2010 Area Identified National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS); U.S. Census Data; Census of Law Enforcement Agencies; and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Economic Censuses and County Business Surveys. The project will assess the risk of violent victimization by gateway type and will identify both micro and macro social factors that contribute to minority victimization. The study will also examine how the racial/ethnic composition of the labor market, both in high and low skill groups, may differentially influence violent victimization among Whites, Hispanics and Blacks. The data will be analyzed using two techniques: 1) estimate standard errors using NCVS design variables from the Census Bureau to correct for clustering of the data and 2) hierarchical linear modeling that takes into account the hierarchal structure of the data. ca/ncf