Abstract

This paper studies the effects of immigration on crime and crime per-ceptions in Chile, where the foreign-born population tripled in less than ten years. We document null effects of immigration on crime but positive and significant effects on crime-related concerns and on pre-ventive behavioral responses, such as investing in home security. We explore several channels and provide suggestive evidence related to low-versus high-education immigrants, ethnicity-related intergroup threats, and the role of local media. (JEL D83, D91, J15, K42, L82, O15, O17)