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ImmigrationProf Blog
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TRAC Immigration Data

By immigrationprof

This TRAC “explainer” report provides a simple introduction into how immigration works and how to use that basic knowledge to make sense of how to find the immigration data you’re looking for on the TRAC website. 

  • How to Use TRAC’s Immigration Tools

    Now that you know what information TRAC has available in the tools, this section provides an overview on how to use the tools effectively. The most robust tools contain three key interactive areas: (1) options for which data to include in the tool and how the data is represented, (2) the graph, and (3) the detailed tables that can be sorted and allow for drilling down into the data. For a variety of reasons, some tools do not contain all of these options. The image below shows the Immigration Court Backlog tool.

    The top of the page shows the tool title and a list of key variables available in the data. In the area marked (1) in the upper-left, users can adjust the data on the graph and choose whether to count all immigration charges or specify only immigration charges or national security charges. The graph shown in area (2) adjusts in real time based on data selected in area (1) and in the tables below. Moving the cursor over bars on the graph will reveal counts for each bar.

    Area (3) at the bottom of the page is the most dynamic part of each of TRAC’s tools. The three tables represent three levels of detail, from most general on the far left to most detailed on the far right. The table on the far left shows the number of cases currently pending before the immigration courts broken down by state. Clicking on the heading (either State or Pending Cases) allows users to sort data: one click for descending, two clicks for ascending. The State that is highlighted in the left column will be graphed in area (2) above. The middle table shows one level of detail deeper. In the figure below, California is highlighted on the left, which means that the second table shows specific courts in California. The third table on the far right goes a step further: it shows the breakdown in nationality for each immigration court.

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Data and Research