U.S. Immigration Enforcement Data: A Short Guide

Administrative datasets on immigration enforcement—the government’s own records of immigration arrests, detentions, and deportations—are increasingly central to immigration journalism, research, and litigation. Access to individual-level data (i.e. data including a row for each person or action) from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), has made this trend possible.