Reporting Immigration Checklists
- Claudia Yaujar-Amaro
- Jan 29
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 5
General immigration story checklist
Key questions
What exact status or pathway is at issue (asylum, refugee, TPS, family‑based, work visa, parole, undocumented)?
Is this about an individual case, a policy change, or a trend in the data?
Which agency is actually responsible (CBP at the border, ICE in the interior/detention, USCIS for benefits, EOIR for courts, State for visas)?
What is law (INA/statute) versus policy guidance that could change with a new administration?
Must‑call sources
Local legal aid or immigrant‑rights organizations handling similar cases.
At least one immigration attorney or accredited representative for the legal context.
Relevant federal public‑affairs office (CBP, ICE, USCIS, EOIR, or State).
Community groups, faith organizations, or mutual aid networks working with impacted people.
Data starting points
DHS/USCIS/CBP/ICE official stats plus Department of Justice EOIR “Statistics & Reports” page.
TRAC Immigration tools on courts, detention, and enforcement.
American Community Survey (ACS) and Census tables for the local foreign‑born population and nativity.
Border beat checklist
Story questions
Where exactly did this encounter happen (port of entry vs between ports) and under what policy framework (asylum processing, expedited removal, parole program, Title 8, etc.)?
Are people being turned back, detained, or released with court dates or alternatives to detention?
How do current encounter numbers compare to previous years at this same sector or port?
Are local services (shelters, legal aid, schools, clinics) seeing a surge tied to border processing changes?
Must‑call sources
CBP public affairs for sector‑level stats and policy description.
Local shelters, migrant respite centers, and border nonprofits for on‑the‑ground impact.
City/county emergency management, health, and school officials, if they claim a strain on resources.
At least one independent researcher or data analyst familiar with CBP/ICE/EOIR datasets.
Data starting points
CBP “Public Data Portal” for encounters, expulsions/removals, demographics, and locations.
TRAC tools on border patrol apprehensions and court filings by court and nationality.
Deportation Data Project or similar repositories linking FOIA’d CBP/ICE/EOIR data.
Detention and enforcement beat checklist
Story questions
Who is held where, under what legal authority (civil immigration detention, criminal custody, material witness)?
What are conditions like (medical care, solitary confinement, use of force, access to counsel, language access)?
Which public and private entities profit from this facility (federal contracts, county per‑diem payments, private prison operators, subcontractors)?
Are people being placed on electronic monitoring or surveillance tech instead of, or in addition to, physical detention?
Must‑call sources
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) public affairs for detention numbers and policies.
Facility operators (county sheriff, private prison company) for contracts and conditions.
Local public defenders and immigration attorneys with clients inside the facility.
Advocacy groups that monitor detention (for example Freedom for Immigrants, national or state coalitions).
Data & records starting points
ICE’s biweekly detention statistics (in‑custody counts, facilities, use of electronic monitoring).
TRAC detention tools and FOIA‑based detention maps and dashboards.
FOIA requests for: facility contracts, inspection reports, death reviews, grievances, use‑of‑force policies, and detainee handbooks.
Local government & “entanglement” checklist
Story questions
How does your city/county cooperate with or limit cooperation with ICE and CBP (287(g) agreements, detainers, data‑sharing, jail contracts)?
How much local revenue or cost is tied to detention contracts, task forces, or ICE reimbursements?
What local ordinances or resolutions govern police inquiries into immigration status, holds for ICE, or access to municipal services?
Are recent migration trends changing school enrollment, housing, or labor markets in ways local government is reacting to?
Must‑call sources
County sheriff/jail administrator and county budget office for contracts, per‑diem rates, and reimbursements.
City and county attorneys or clerks for ordinances, MOUs, and legal opinions on detainers and cooperation.
Local school district, health department, and workforce/economic development office for impact data.
Community/faith coalitions, tenant groups, and business associations for lived and economic impacts.
Data & records starting points
ILRC “National Map of Local Entanglement with ICE” and similar maps listing 287(g) and detention contracts.
Local budgets, CAFRs, contract databases, and procurement portals for detention and ICE‑related spending.
ACS 5‑year estimates and Census migration tables for local immigrant population trends and integration indicators.
TRAC county‑level court‑filing rates and deportation data, compared to Census‑based immigrant measures.
FOIA and data‑verification mini‑checklist
FOIA prompts
Have you FOIA’d the specific agency and level that holds the data (ICE/CBP/USCIS/EOIR, plus state and county records laws)?
Can you request data dictionaries, codebooks, and user guides for the dataset you are relying on?
Have you matched aggregate numbers against public dashboards or alternative sources (TRAC, Deportation Data Project)?
Verification steps
Identify whether a dataset covers all arrests/cases or only a subset (for example ICE ERO vs HSI, CBP vs ICE).
Check last update date, missing fields, and known caveats documented by the agency or independent analysts.
Clearly label estimates versus counts, and distinguish court filings, admissions, and survey‑based population estimates.
NOTE: If you share the text of your explainer or your internal template, this checklist can be tightened into a one‑page PDF keyed directly to your sections and to your outlet’s style.
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