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Immigration Statistics on the Web
Summary
As immigration
legislation is considered by Congress, the need for
accurate information relating to immigration and
immigrants has increased. This report identifies
selected websites that provide general and statistical
information on immigration topics. Selected government
and organizational website addresses are included. As
with all statistics, it is important to note the source
and methodology when consulting immigration statistics,
taking into account any organizational bias. This report
will be updated periodically as new information becomes
available and to ensure the currency of the Web
addresses.
The selected websites
examining immigration issues listed below are divided
into three categories: federal government, state
information, and nongovernment. A brief description,
often provided from the agency/organization website,
accompanies each data source with details on related
links.
Federal Government Sources
Legal
Immigration
Department of Homeland
Security.
The primary federal source
for immigration statistics is the Office of Immigration
Statistics (OIS), within the Office of Policy of the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS). OIS produces
several reports on aspects of
immigration. The most comprehensive is the
Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, which
includes tables on legal permanent residents, refugees
and asylees, nonimmigrant admissions, naturalization,
and
enforcement. The
website also lists monthly statistical reports as
well as fiscal year end statistical reports.
The Department of State.
The
Report of the Visa Office
is an annual report
providing statistical information on immigrant and
nonimmigrant visa issuances by
consular offices, as
well as information on the use of visa numbers in
numerically limited categories. For current information
on the availability of immigrant numbers, see the latest
Visa Bulletin.
Foreign Born Population
U.S. Census Bureau
American FactFinder.
Using
American FactFinder on the Census Bureau’s website,
the following data on noncitizens(1)
are available:
population counts (for urban/rural and metropolitan/
nonmetropolitan areas), population housing units, land
area and density (for all states), group quarters
(population by age and sex), historic population counts,
and population projections.
Labor and Business Data
Department of Labor.
The Division of
Foreign Labor Certification (DFLC), within the
Department of Labor, provides policy guidance to carry
out the responsibilities of the Secretary of Labor under
the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended,
concerning foreign workers seeking admission to the
United States for employment. For information on the
wage levels for permanent and temporary workers, see the
Foreign Labor
Certification Data Center.
Executive Office for
Immigration Review.
The
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), within
the Department of Justice, interprets and administers
federal immigration laws by conducting immigration court
proceedings, appellate reviews, and administrative
hearings. EOIR produces a
statistical yearbook that contains statistical
information on immigration courts, the Board of
Immigration Appeals, immigration judge decisions
appealed, and total cases received and completed.
Unauthorized Migration
U.S. Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard
enforces immigration law at sea, conducting patrols and
interdicting undocumented migrants at sea, denying them
entry via maritime routes to the United States. This
site provides statistics on the number of interdictions
at sea from 1982 to present. Click on “Statistics” on
the left at the
website.
Department of Homeland
Security.
The Department of
Homeland Security describes estimates of the size of the
unauthorized immigrant population residing in the United
States, by state of residence and country of origin, in
their report
Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population
Residing in the United States: 1990 to 2000.
State Information
National Council of
State Legislatures (NCSL).
NCSL is a bipartisan
organization serving state legislators and their staffs.
NCSL
provides research on issues of interest to the states.
From their
immigration overview page, there are links to
statistics on immigrants,
state immigrant offices, and
state legislation.
Nongovernment Sources
The organization
websites listed below provide information on immigration
and their data sources. The brief description of the
organization was obtained from the website. Listing here
does not constitute a CRS endorsement of the
organization.
Pew Hispanic Center.
Founded in 2001, the
Pew Hispanic Center,
is a nonpartisan research organization supported by the
Pew Charitable Trusts. The center “conducts and
commissions studies on a wide range of topics with the
aim of presenting research that at once meets the most
rigorous scientific standards and is accessible to the
interested public.” It regularly conducts public opinion
surveys providing Latino views on a range of social
matters and public policy issues, including immigration.
Although the focus is on the Latino population, there
are a number of studies that provide data on non-Latino
immigrants, including current estimates of the
unauthorized population, such as the report entitled
The Size and Characteristics of the Unauthorized Migrant
Population in the U.S. Estimates Based on the March 2005
Current Population Survey,
by Jeffrey S. Passel, senior research associate.
The Center for
Comparative Immigration Studies.
Established in 1999, a campus-wide
research unit of the University of California-San Diego,
CCIS conducts
basic and policy-oriented research projects on
international migration and refugee flows throughout the
world. They compare the “U.S. immigration experience”
with “other countries of immigration, especially in
Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.” You can view their
working papers on immigration issues.
Center for Immigration
Studies (CIS).
Founded in
1985, the
CIS is an
independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit research
organization “devoted exclusively to analyzing the
economic, social, demographic, fiscal, and other impacts
of immigration on the United States. The center is
animated by a pro-immigrant, low-immigration vision
which seeks fewer immigrants but a warmer welcome
for those admitted.” A section entitled “Current
Numbers” provides statistical information on
immigrants.
Institute for the
Study of International Migration, Georgetown University.
Founded in 1998 as part of the
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and affiliated
with the Law Center at Georgetown University,
ISIM focuses on all aspects of international
migration, including the causes of and potential
responses to population movements, immigration, and
refugee law and policy.
Inter-University
Committee on International Migration.
Established in 1974, the
Inter-University Committee on International
Migration provides information on migration and
refugee studies at member institutions, including Boston
University, Brandeis University, The Fletcher School of
Law and Diplomacy, Harvard University, MIT, Tufts
University, and Wellesley College. The committee is
chaired by MIT as a program of the Center for
International Studies.
Migration Policy
Institute (MPI).
Founded in
1989, the
MPI
originated as the Carnegie Endowment’s International
Migration Policy Program “to analyze the movement of
people worldwide.” On May 22, 2002, the
Migration
Information Source was launched by the MPI to
provide current data and analysis on migration and
refugee issues.
LaVonne M. Mangan
Information Research Specialist
Knowledge Services Group |