A definitive, journalist/researcher-ready resource from Herman Legal Group
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If you’re a journalist, researcher, policy analyst, academic, or Reddit data nerd, these are the 7 most essential immigration data sources for 2026:
- DHS Yearbook of Immigration Statistics – The government’s core annual immigration dataset.
- USCIS Immigration & Citizenship Data – Approvals, denials, backlogs, RFEs, processing times.
- EOIR Immigration Court Data – Asylum decisions, deportation orders, backlog stats.
- TRAC Immigration – Judge-by-judge outcomes, detention, bond, asylum grant rates.
- ICE Detention Statistics – Daily population, enforcement trends, transfers.
- Dept. of State Visa Statistics – Immigrant & nonimmigrant visa issuance, refusals, backlogs.
- Census Bureau ACS Data – Immigrant demographics, languages, employment, state/city-level.
This article includes 43 more—grouped, explained, and linked with downloadable datasets, story ideas, and Reddit-friendly angles.
Bookmark this page. Share it widely. This is the single most complete, free, public, and trusted list anywhere online.
INTRODUCTION: Why Immigration Data Matters More Than Ever in 2026
Immigration is the most distorted policy issue in American politics—and yet the least understood. In 2025–2026, the U.S. has seen:
- sweeping enforcement shifts
- asylum bans and legal challenges
- mass removal proposals
- unprecedented USCIS backlogs
- new visa restrictions and new humanitarian programs
- highly politicized border narratives
- rising misinformation on social and AI platforms
But almost none of the viral claims circulating online cite actual data.
This resource solves that problem.
This guide is curated specifically for:
- journalists needing fast, authoritative numbers
- researchers creating charts and models
- policy analysts preparing memos
- Reddit communities like r/dataisbeautiful, r/immigration, r/politics, r/MigrationStudies
- students, debaters, and fact-checkers
Each dataset below includes:
- what the source is
- the questions it can answer
- how to use it for stories or visualizations
- why it matters in 2026
- links to download CSV, Excel, or API data
This is the most comprehensive, immigration dataset roundup online — published for free by Herman Legal Group, a national immigration law firm trusted by journalists for 30+ years.
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
Each entry includes:
- Best for → what the dataset helps you understand
- Why it matters in 2026 → tied to current political trends
- Pro tips → how journalists/Redditors can use it
- Download / Access link
Use the categories below to jump where you need.
THE 50 MOST IMPORTANT IMMIGRATION DATA SOURCES FOR 2026
(Organized into 10 categories)
1. CORE U.S. GOVERNMENT IMMIGRATION DATA HUBS
1. DHS Yearbook of Immigration Statistics
The foundational dataset for U.S. immigration numbers since 1952.
Best for: green cards, removals, naturalizations, admissions, enforcement.
Why it matters in 2026: baseline for all long-term comparisons.
Link: DHS Yearbook
2. DHS Immigration & Enforcement Statistics Portal
Real-time datasets on apprehensions, inadmissibility, ICE arrests, removals.
Link: DHS Data Hub
3. USCIS Immigration and Citizenship Data
The gold mine for I-130, I-485, H-1B, I-601A, asylum, and naturalization stats.
Best for: approvals, denials, RFEs, backlogs.
Link: USCIS Reports
4. USCIS Processing Times Tracker
Journalist favorite for backlog stories.
Link: Processing Times
5. USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub
Employer-specific approvals, denials, RFEs.
Link: H-1B Data Hub
6. USCIS Asylum Office Quarterly Reports
Affirmative asylum stats by office and nationality.
Link: Asylum Office Reports
7. EOIR Immigration Court Data (DoJ)
Decisions, backlogs, asylum outcomes, judge-level data.
Link: EOIR Data
8. Department of State — Visa Statistics
Nonimmigrant & immigrant visa issuances, refusals, backlogs, administrative processing.
Link: Visa Statistics
9. Department of Labor PERM & H-1B Disclosure Data
PERM prevailing wage, processing times, denials, audits.
Link: DOL OFLC Data
10. Census Bureau — ACS Immigration Microdata
Languages, incomes, schooling, occupations, state/city level.
Link: ACS
2. IMMIGRATION COURTS, DETENTION & ENFORCEMENT
11. TRAC Immigration (Syracuse University)
The most journalist-used, judge-level immigration database in America.
Link: TRAC Immigration
12. ICE Detention Statistics & Facility Data
Daily detention count, facility-level capacity, deaths in custody.
Link: ICE Statistics
13. ICE FOIA Library
Arrests, detention standards, policy memos.
Link: ICE FOIA Library
14. CBP Nationwide Encounters Dashboard
Border crossings by sector, citizenship, demographic.
Link: CBP Encounters
15. CBP Drug, Contraband, and Smuggling Statistics
Useful for framing border narratives.
Link: CBP Stats
16. EOIR Asylum Decision Rates by Court
City-by-city breakdown (NYC vs. Houston vs. Miami vs. Cleveland, etc.).
Link: EOIR Asylum Data
17. EOIR Scheduling & Backlog Reports
Quantifies delays and judge shortages.
Link: EOIR Backlogs
18. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Reports
Yearly removals, arrests, criminal categories.
Link: ERO Data
19. GAO Investigative Reports on ICE/CBP/USCIS
Independent audits journalists rely on.
Link: GAO Reports
20. DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) Reports
Detention abuses, asylum processing failures, USCIS error rates.
Link: DHS OIG
3. POPULATION, DEMOGRAPHICS & LABOR MARKET
21. Census Bureau — CPS Migration & Labor Data
Employment by nativity, demographics.
Link: CPS
22. Pew Research Center Immigration Database
Migration trends, public opinion, demographic analysis.
Link: Pew Immigration
23. Migration Policy Institute (MPI) Data Hub
State and metro-level immigrant populations.
Link: MPI Data Hub
24. Cato Institute Immigration Research
Libertarian-oriented policy datasets.
Link: Cato Immigration
25. Brookings Institution Immigration Studies
Labor, economics, demographics.
Link: Brookings Immigration
26. Urban Institute Immigration Data
Housing, education, child wellbeing.
Link: Urban Institute
27. National Academies of Sciences — Immigration & Economy
High-impact reports widely cited by journalists.
Link: NAS Immigration
28. State Statistical Offices / Data USA
Breakdowns by state & city.
Link: Data USA
29. IPUMS Immigration Microdata
For academic statistical modeling.
Link: IPUMS
30. Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) — Labor & Migration Correlations
Useful for immigration + recession stories.
Link: FRED
4. REFUGEES, ASYLUM & HUMANITARIAN PROTECTION
31. Refugee Processing Center (RPC) Data
Admissions, nationality charts, state placements.
Link: RPC
32. UNHCR Refugee Statistical Yearbooks
Global flows, asylum trends.
Link: UNHCR Data
33. USCIS Credible Fear & Reasonable Fear Statistics
Key for asylum policy stories.
Link: CF/RF Data
34. DHS Humanitarian Parole Program Statistics
Used in CHNV, Afghan, Ukrainian parole.
Link: DHS Parole
35. ORR (Office of Refugee Resettlement) Annual Reports
Funding, services, resettlement trends.
Link: ORR Reports
5. INTERNATIONAL & COMPARATIVE MIGRATION DATA
36. OECD International Migration Database
Cross-country comparisons.
Link: OECD Migration
37. UN DESA International Migrant Stock
Global migration flows.
Link: DESA Migration
38. IOM Global Migration Data Portal
Maps, dashboards, displacement data.
Link: IOM Data
39. World Bank Migration & Remittances Data
Shows economic flows.
Link: World Bank Migration
40. International Labor Organization (ILO) Migration Data
Labor migration patterns.
Link: ILO Migration
6. PUBLIC OPINION & POLITICAL CONTEXT
41. Gallup Immigration Polling
Decades of trendlines.
Link: Gallup Immigration
42. YouGov / Economist Polling on Immigration
Weekly sentiment data.
Link: YouGov Immigration
43. Pew Public Opinion Surveys (Immigration)
Attitudes on border, asylum, DACA.
Link: Pew Surveys
44. Vanderbilt LAPOP (Latin America Public Opinion Project)
Migration intention data.
Link: LAPOP
7. WATCHDOGS, FOIA PROJECTS & ACADEMIC LABS
45. FOIA.gov Immigration Document Repository
Raw government data.
Link: FOIA.gov
46. American Immigration Council Data Reports
Policy-focused research.
Link: AIC Research
47. Vera Institute Immigration Studies
Detention conditions, due process.
Link: Vera Institute
48. UCLA Center for Immigration Law & Policy
Academic research goldmine.
Link: UCLA CILP
8. REAL-TIME DASHBOARDS & API TOOLS
49. Visa Bulletin + Backlog Tracker (DOS)
Useful for EB and family visa retrogression.
Link: Visa Bulletin
50. USCIS FOIA Reading Room — Internal Memos & Manuals
Great for policy change reporting.
Link: USCIS FOIA Library
STORY IDEAS / ANGLES FOR JOURNALISTS & REDDITORS
Use these datasets to create:
- “Which immigration judges in your city have the lowest asylum approval rates?”
- “How many workers did local employers hire under H-1B/PERM this year?”
- “How many people from your community became U.S. citizens in 2025?”
- “Did border encounters drop after Policy X took effect?”
- “Are visa backlogs driving tech worker shortages in your metro area?”
- “Visualized: How many refugees your state welcomed last year.”
These stories always perform well on Reddit, Substack, and local media.
RESOURCE DIRECTORY (GOVERNMENT + MEDIA + HLG)
Key Government Sources
Media Investigations (Immigration Data & Enforcement)
- New York Times immigration investigations
- Reuters immigration data stories
- Associated Press immigration enforcement coverage
- NBC border & enforcement reporting
Herman Legal Group — Data-Interpreting Guides
- Why ICE Is Waiting at Marriage Interviews
- Quiet War on Marriage-Based Green Cards
- Marriage Interview Overstay Arrests Guide
- Trump’s 2025 Deportation Surge (navigate via blog)
More Resources:
The Ultimate 2026 U.S. Immigration Statistics Library (TRAC, DHS, DOS, USCIS, DOL, CDC, FBI)
The 50 Most Important Immigration Data Sources for 2026 (Free, Public & Trusted)
FAQ
What are the most trusted free immigration data sources in 2026?
The most trusted are the DHS Yearbook, USCIS data, EOIR court stats, TRAC judge-level data, Census ACS, ICE detention reports, and State Department visa statistics.
Where can I find up-to-date asylum approval and denial rates?
Check EOIR asylum data for court decisions and TRAC Immigration for judge-by-judge outcomes.
How can I find immigration statistics about my state or city?
Use Census ACS, MPI Data Hub, and Data USA for demographics; EOIR for court stats; and State Department for local visa issuance patterns.
Which datasets show undocumented immigrant population estimates?
MPI, Pew Research, and academic models via IPUMS and Census microdata.
Is there an API for immigration data?
Yes: TRAC, Census, FRED, and many DHS datasets include API endpoints.
What’s the best dataset for visa backlogs in 2026?
The Visa Bulletin, USCIS processing times, and DOS visa statistics.
Need help interpreting this data? Or need expert quotes fast?
For 30+ years, Richard T. Herman, Esq. and the Herman Legal Group have helped journalists, researchers, and policy analysts interpret immigration datasets — backlogs, asylum outcomes, deportation trends, visa declines, enforcement spikes, and more.
We help you:
- translate raw data into real-world narratives
- contextualize trends for articles
- understand how laws and memos affect the numbers
- find story angles hidden in the metrics
- fact-check claims made by political figures
If you’re reporting on immigration or preparing a deep-dive analysis, you can request expert commentary or background anytime.
👉 Book a consultation with Herman Legal Group
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Call: 216-696-6170
