About OpenImmigration

OpenImmigration is a free, open-data platform that makes U.S. immigration court records accessible and understandable. We believe this data — which shapes the lives of millions of people — should be available to everyone, not locked behind paywalls or buried in government PDFs.

Our Data

Our primary data source is the EOIR Case Data — a comprehensive dataset published monthly by the Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). This dataset was made public through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests originally filed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University.

The dataset includes:

  • Cases — Every immigration court case with nationality, language, city/state, custody status, case type, dates, and attorney information
  • Proceedings — Hearing dates, adjournments, outcomes, and decisions
  • Charges — Immigration charges filed in each case
  • Judges — Judge assignments and court locations
  • Applications — Asylum and other relief applications filed
  • Appeals — Board of Immigration Appeals data

We supplement EOIR data with:

  • CBP Encounter Data — Monthly border encounter statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (FY2020-2026)
  • ICE ERO Statistics — Deportation, arrest, and detention data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement
  • USCIS Quarterly Reports — Green card, naturalization, DACA, and application backlog data
  • DHS Overstay Reports — Annual visa overstay data reported to Congress
  • DHS Yearbook of Immigration Statistics — Historical legal immigration, refugee, and enforcement data

All data is from official U.S. government sources — public records that should be accessible to everyone.

Why This Matters

The U.S. immigration court system currently has a backlog of over 1.9 million cases. Wait times can exceed 4 years. Asylum grant rates vary wildly — from under 10% to over 90% — depending on the judge assigned to a case. Whether someone is deported or allowed to stay can depend more on geography and judicial assignment than the merits of their case.

Only about 26.7% of immigrants in removal proceedings have legal representation. Those with attorneys are significantly more likely to win their cases.

These are facts that should be accessible to everyone — journalists investigating the system, researchers studying patterns, attorneys preparing cases, policymakers making decisions, and the public understanding how immigration enforcement actually works.

What We Don't Do

  • We don't identify individual immigrants — all data is aggregated
  • We don't advocate for any particular immigration policy
  • We don't charge for access — no paywalls, no registration
  • We don't editorialize the data — we present it with context

Part of TheDataProject.ai

OpenImmigration is part of TheDataProject.ai, a portfolio of data-driven platforms that make public records accessible. Our sister sites include OpenMedicaid, OpenMedicare, OpenLobby, VaccineWatch, and more.

Press & Media

For press inquiries, data requests, or collaboration opportunities, contact us at info@thedataproject.ai.