The Intergenerational Effects of Permanent Legal Status

We estimate the effects of permanent legal status on the health of children born to immigrants in the United States using variation from the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). Our empirical approach compares trends in birth outcomes for foreign-born Mexican mothers across counties with different application rates under IRCA’s large-scale legalization programs. Maternal legalization raised birthweight. Effects arose immediately after the application process began – five years before affected women became Medicaid-eligible – suggesting causal mechanisms besides improved access to early prenatal care. Changes in the composition of births, stemming from changes in fertility and family reunification, contribute to but far from fully explain the birthweight impacts. The more likely mechanisms were instead the increases in family income and reductions in stress that came from gaining legal status.