About PlainImmigration

Our Mission

PlainImmigration is a public-interest data portal that provides US immigration court case outcome statistics. We believe that transparency in the immigration court system is essential for public understanding, academic research, and informed policy debate.

Immigration courts operate under the Department of Justice, not as independent judicial bodies. The system processes hundreds of thousands of cases annually, with outcomes that vary dramatically depending on which court hears a case, which judge is assigned, and whether the respondent has legal representation. Our purpose is to make these patterns visible through public government data.

Academic research has consistently shown significant "lottery effects" in immigration courts — meaning outcomes can vary dramatically based on which judge is randomly assigned to a case. The same set of facts can produce opposite outcomes depending on the individual immigration judge. PlainImmigration makes this variance visible and measurable using official government case data.

We do not advocate for or against any immigration policy. We present statistical data from government sources and let researchers, journalists, attorneys, and the public draw their own conclusions about the fairness and consistency of the system.

Data Sources

All data comes from the DOJ Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) case data released via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). EOIR administers the US immigration court system, maintaining records on millions of immigration cases.

  • EOIR FOIA Case Data: Bulk case-level data released by EOIR under FOIA, containing records of immigration court proceedings including court of record, judge assigned, nationality of respondent, type of relief sought, and case outcome (grant, denial, termination, administrative closure, etc.)
  • Court location data: Geographic locations of all immigration courts across the United States, mapped to states and cities for geographic analysis
  • Judge assignment data: Records linking individual immigration judges to their courts and case outcomes, enabling analysis of judge-level grant rate variation
  • Nationality data: Country of origin for respondents, enabling analysis of how outcomes vary by nationality and whether representation status affects different nationality groups differently

Methodology

Our data processing pipeline transforms the raw EOIR FOIA data into structured profiles for courts, judges, and nationalities. The methodology is designed for accuracy and statistical transparency.

Case outcome classification: We categorize case outcomes based on the EOIR decision codes. Grants include asylum grants, withholding of removal, and CAT protection. Denials include ordered removed, voluntary departure, and other adverse outcomes. We separately track administrative closures, terminations, and other procedural outcomes that do not represent a merits decision.

Grant rate calculation: Grant rates are calculated as the number of grants divided by the total number of merits decisions (grants plus denials). Cases that are administratively closed, terminated, or otherwise resolved without a merits decision are excluded from the grant rate denominator. This provides a more accurate picture of how cases that reach a decision are resolved.

Judge-level analysis: We aggregate case outcomes by assigned immigration judge to calculate individual judge grant rates. This enables analysis of how outcomes vary between judges hearing similar types of cases at the same court. Judge-level variance is a well-documented phenomenon in immigration law research.

Representation impact: Where the EOIR data includes representation status, we calculate separate grant rates for represented and unrepresented respondents. This enables analysis of the "representation gap" — the difference in outcomes between those with and without legal counsel.

Data Freshness and Update Schedule

EOIR releases updated FOIA data periodically. Our database reflects the most recent complete EOIR data release available at the time of our last data pull. Immigration court proceedings are ongoing, so recent cases may not be included in our database until the next EOIR data release.

Court statistics, judge assignments, and case backlogs change continuously. Data shown on PlainImmigration represents historical patterns and should not be used to predict the outcome of any individual case. Immigration law and policy changes can significantly alter grant rates and processing patterns between data releases.

Editorial Independence

Content on PlainImmigration is compiled by our editorial team. Raw data from the FBI, U.S. courts, USPTO, and related justice agencies is transformed into readable profiles by our continuous editorial pipeline, validated against the source before publication. The PlainImmigration editorial team, operating under Kiznis Studio, is responsible for editorial standards, methodology, and corrections.

We do not accept payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from law enforcement agencies, courts, attorneys, or any covered entity. Our only revenue source is contextual display advertising served by Google AdSense — advertisers do not influence which entities we cover or how we present data, and they do not receive preferential placement.

Limitations and Disclaimer

PlainImmigration is a statistical data resource only. Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice. Every immigration case is unique. Important limitations:

  • Grant rates are historical averages and do not predict the outcome of any individual case — many factors not captured in the data affect case outcomes
  • Judge-level statistics may reflect the types of cases assigned to them, not just their decision-making patterns — some judges may hear disproportionately more or fewer cases of certain types
  • EOIR data quality varies — some fields may be incomplete, inconsistently coded, or missing for certain time periods
  • Policy changes (such as changes to asylum eligibility criteria) can cause abrupt shifts in grant rates that reflect policy rather than adjudicator behavior
  • Representation status data may be incomplete — not all cases have representation status recorded in the EOIR dataset
  • Court backlog numbers change rapidly and our data may not reflect the most current backlog status

Always consult a licensed immigration attorney for advice specific to your situation. PlainImmigration is not affiliated with the Department of Justice, EOIR, or any government agency.

Contact

For questions, feedback, or data correction requests, email us at hello@plainimmigration.com. We welcome input from immigration researchers, attorneys, and advocates on how to improve the site. If you believe there is a factual error in our data presentation, please contact us with specific details so we can investigate.