Uncovering the Citizenship Effect: The Impact of Citizenship Status on Federal Sentencing Outcomes

Scholarly literature on racial disparities has only recently begun to examine the interaction ofrace/ethnicity and citizenship status in the criminaljustice system. Through the use of measures of ethnic threat, the current study expands the research on citizenship and sentencing by examining if outcomes differ according to the local population. Using federal sentencing and district-level data, we estimate the effect ofthe interaction between citizenship status and ethnicity on sentencing outcomes. Results indicate that individuals who are both Hispanic and non-U.S, citizens receive significantly harsher punishments than U.S. citizens, regardless ofethnic threat at the district level.