Trump Administration Restricts Immigration Data Access

Researchers, advocates, and journalists struggle to hold the administration accountable due to lack of reliable immigration enforcement statistics.

Mar. 15, 2026 at 4:03pm

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The Trump administration has been releasing less reliable and carefully vetted data on its immigration enforcement agenda, leaving researchers, advocates, lawyers, and journalists without important statistics to hold the Republican administration accountable. Key enforcement metrics and monthly reports from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics have not been updated since early last year, and other government agencies have also slowed the release of immigration-related data.

Why it matters

The gap in information and loss of figures from an office that has tracked immigration data back to the 1800s have made it difficult for the public to assess the administration's claims about mass deportations, border crossings, and other enforcement actions. This lack of transparency undermines the ability to hold the government accountable and understand the real-world impacts of its immigration policies.

The details

The Office of Homeland Security Statistics, responsible for publishing figures from Homeland Security agencies, has not updated key enforcement metrics on its website since early 2025. Other agencies, such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, have also slowed the release of immigration-related data. The administration has released inconsistent and unverifiable figures, with DHS providing conflicting deportation numbers in news releases and congressional testimony.

  • The Office of Homeland Security Statistics' monthly reports, which allowed researchers to track developments almost in real time, have not been updated since early 2025.
  • The latest data from an ICE interactive dashboard, intended for quarterly updates, is from January 2025.
  • The State Department's most recent visa issuance data is from August 2025.
  • Key statistics from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have not been updated since October 2025.

The players

Trump administration

The current Republican administration, led by President Donald Trump, which has made immigration enforcement a priority and is restricting the release of immigration-related data.

Office of Homeland Security Statistics

The office responsible for publishing figures from Homeland Security agencies, including removals and the nationalities of those deported, to provide a comprehensive picture of immigration trends.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

A federal law enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security that is responsible for enforcing immigration laws.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

A federal agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States, including processing immigrant visa petitions, naturalization applications, and asylum claims.

Mike Howell

The head of the conservative Oversight Project, an advocacy group pushing for more deportations.

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What they’re saying

“They aren't publishing the data. Instead, the Department of Homeland Security has put out numbers in news releases 'that purport to be statistics with no statistical backup and the numbers have jumped all over the place.'”

— Mike Howell, Head of the Oversight Project

“It's the most timely data. It's the most reliable data. It has the most omniscient view of immigration enforcement across the entire agency.”

— Austin Kocher, Research professor at Syracuse University

“We're all a little bit in the dark about exactly how immigration enforcement is operating at a time when it's taking new and unprecedented forms.”

— Julia Gelatt, Associate director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute

What’s next

The administration has faced bipartisan criticism for the lack of transparency on immigration data, and researchers and advocates are continuing to pursue legal action and other means to access the information they need to hold the government accountable.

The takeaway

The Trump administration's restrictions on the release of immigration data have made it increasingly difficult for the public to assess the real-world impacts of its enforcement agenda, undermining transparency and accountability around a key policy priority.