Immigration Statistics on the Web

Immigration Statistics on the Web

Order Code RS22423
Updated March 6, 2007
Immigration Statistics on the Web
LaVonne M. Mangan
Information Research Specialist
Knowledge Services Group
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, [http://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/statistics/]. The most
comprehensive is the Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, which includes tables on legal
permanent residents, refugees and asylees, nonimmigrant admissions, naturalization, and
enforcement, at[ [http://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/statistics/publications/yearbook.shtm]].
The website also lists monthly statistical reports as well as fiscal year end statistical
reports, at [http://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/statistics/publications/index.shtm].
The Department of State. The Report of the Visa Office is an annual report
providing statistical information on immigrant and nonimmigrant visa issuances by

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consular offices, as well as information on the use of visa numbers in numerically limited
categories, [http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/statistics/statistics_1476.html]. For current
information on the availability of immigrant numbers, see the latest Visa Bulletin at
[http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_2847.html].
Foreign Born Population
U.S. Census Bureau American FactFinder. Using American FactFinder on
the Census Bureau’s website, the following data on noncitizens1 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. See [http://factfinder.census.gov/
servlet/SAFFPeople?_submemuId=people_0&_sse=on].
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, at
[http://www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/]. For information on the wage levels for
permanent and temporary workers, see the Foreign Labor Certification Data Center site,
at [http://www.flcdatacenter.com].
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. See
[http://www.usdoj.gov/eoir/statspub/syb2000main.htm].
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
[http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-o/g-opl/AMIO/AMIO.htm].
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, at
[http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/Ill_Report_1211.pdf]
1 Noncitizens are legal immigrants and nonimmigrants.

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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, at [http://www.ncsl.org/index.htm]. From their immigration
overview page at [http://www.ncsl.org/programs/immig/index.htm], there are links to
statistics on immigrants, [http://www.ncsl.org/programs/immig/immigstatistics.htm]; state
immigrant offices, [http://www.ncsl.org/programs/immig/immigstateoffices05.htm]; and
state legislation, [http://www.ncsl.org/programs/immig/6ImmigEnactedLegis3.htm].
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,
[http://www.pewhispanic.org], 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, at [http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/61.pdf].
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, [http://www.ccis-ucsd.org/]. They compare the “U.S. immigration
experience” with “other countries of immigration, especially in Europe and the
Asia-Pacific region.” Their working papers on immigration issues can be viewed at
[http://www.ccis-ucsd.org/PUBLICATIONS/working_papers.htm].
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.” See
[http://www.cis.org]. A section entitled “Current Numbers” provides statistical
information on immigrants, at [http://www.cis.org/topics/currentnumbers.html].
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

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of international migration, including the causes of and potential responses to population
movements, immigration, and refugee law and policy. See ISMI’s website at
[http://www.georgetown.edu/sfs/programs/isim/index.html].
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, [http://web.mit.edu/cis/www/migration].
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,” see [http://www.migrationpolicy.org]. On May 22, 2002, the
Migration Information Source at [http://www.migrationinformation.org] was launched by
the MPI to provide current data and analysis on migration and refugee issues.