TRAC's data is obtained from federal agencies through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests as well as directly from the federal courts. Rather than requesting documents through FOIA, TRAC requests data from the government's own internal databases, which provide insight into what federal agencies are actually doing on a day-to-day basis-including key immigration enforcement agencies.

In the full report, we summarize the role that each of the following agencies play in the US immigration system: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the agency responsible for managing the Immigration Courts (the Executive Office for Immigration Review, or EOIR). We also explain the basics of how deportation works, including arrested, detention, the removal proceedings process, and deportation. Equipped with this understanding, you can more easily identify which of TRAC's immigration data tools fits your needs.

If you find the report helpful, please let us know by sharing feedback on Twitter (@TRACReports) or sending us an email (trac@syr.edu).

To read the full report, go to:

https://trac.syr.edu/tracreports/general/607/

If you want to be sure to receive a notification whenever updated data become available, sign up at:

https://tracfed.syr.edu/cgi-bin/tracuser.pl?pub=1

Follow us on Twitter at:

https://twitter.com/tracreports

or like us on Facebook:

https://facebook.com/tracreports

TRAC is self-supporting and depends on foundation grants, individual contributions and subscription fees for the funding needed to obtain, analyze and publish the data we collect on the activities of the US Federal government. To help support TRAC's ongoing efforts, go to:

https://trac.syr.edu/cgi-bin/sponsor/sponsor.pl