The Immigration Enforcement Dashboard provides easy-to-use charts and maps showing when, where, and who ICE arrests in the United States, with other datasets to be added soon. The data comes from government records obtained through public information requests and litigation by the Deportation Data Project, but this dashboard is not affiliated with it.
The Immigration Enforcement Dashboard is an independent project developed by Relevant Research to enhance public accessibility of immigration enforcement data obtained and published by the Deportation Data Project. This dashboard transforms complex administrative datasets into accessible visualizations and analysis tools for journalists, researchers, and policymakers who require validated, nonpartisan data but lack the technical infrastructure or domain expertise to independently process large-scale government datasets.The project leverages Relevant Research’s experience in administrative data analysis to broaden access to immigration enforcement information across diverse user communities and skill levels. Consider also visiting our related project at DetentionReports.com.
This documentation focuses on arrest data, which is currently the only dataset available through the dashboard interface. Documentation for additional datasets will be provided as corresponding dashboards are released.
An arrest in this dataset represents an apprehension conducted by an immigration enforcement officer within ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). This data does not include arrest by non-ERO ICE officers, other DHS agencies and subagencies, nor federal, state, or local enforcement officers with immigration arrest authority (e.g., through 287(g) agreements).
This dataset was validated by comparing aggregate totals to publicly reported ICE statistics to verify data completeness and accuracy. This validation confirms that dashboard figures align with ICE's official public reporting, indicating adequate data production through the FOIA process. Numbers here may not align with all official government statements, either due to differences in methodology or intentional or unintentional misrepresentation of the data.
Data processing was intentionally kept to a minimum. Only 100% duplicated records (n=54) were consolidated to single entries. Near-duplicate records differing only in arrest time (typically within hours) were retained based on three factors: maximizing data inclusion, the technical and legal possibility of multiple daily arrests, and the absence of evidence that ICE excludes such records from public reporting.
The dataset includes unique identifiers—,randomly generated numbers linking multiple records to individual persons. Analysis indicates that 14,349 individuals (4.9% of total) experienced multiple arrests across the timespan of the dataset. Therefore, it is most accurate to refer to these data as “ICE arrests” (i.e., arrest events) rather than "people arrested." However, given the relatively small proportion of repeat arrests for any given geography and time period, the terms "ICE arrests" and "people arrested by ICE" may be used interchangeably for general audiences.
In this first release, some administrative fields, including arrest location and program classification, were excluded to prioritize commonly requested data categories. These fields will be incorporated in future updates. All redacted fields were excluded from the dashboard.
For an in-depth discussion of the Deportation Data Project’s arrest data from a research perspective, visit Austin Kocher’s series below:
We welcome user feedback, technical questions, and suggestions for dashboard improvements. Please note that Relevant Research operates with limited capacity and cannot accommodate requests for additional pro bono research or in-depth data analysis for individuals while also maintaining and improving this public dashboard for the entire public. For technical support or inquiries, contact Adam at Relevant Research.