Data Modernization 

Proposals to update immigration data reporting are the third modernization category identified by the immigration reform group CommonSense American coordinates. Currently, data on key immigration-related issues are scattered across the government and not evaluated as a whole.

Congressional Immigration Data Office

This proposal would establish a single federal office to provide integrated, comprehensive immigration data and analysis from across relevant agencies. The information collected would include:

  • Labor Market Needs—Evaluations of worker shortage data and the level of additional labor needed by different industries and occupations, if any, and whether these needs suggest an increase, decrease, or no change to current caps on the number of relevant immigrant work visas.
  • Immigration Impacts on the US—Evaluation of the impacts of immigration nationally and by state, including positive and negative effects on the economy and jobs for US citizens, including the level of substitution and scaling impacts of foreign workers. Reported data would also include impacts on government services, crime, and housing availability.
  • Impacts on Immigrants—Evaluations of the experience of immigrants in the US, including levels and types of foreign worker exploitation by employers, integration of immigrants into the workforce, and use of benefits and services.

The proposed new office would be a nonpartisan arm of Congress within an existing congressionally mandated agency, such as the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), or the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Alternatively, it would be a new congressionally mandated office (e.g., the Congressional Immigration Data Office).

The proposal would require the congressional immigration data office to publicly issue reports on immigration needs and impacts at least every two years. The reports would include data-driven recommendations on whether workforce visa caps should be increased, decreased, or left unchanged, based on the updated data.

The immigration data office would be authorized to obtain relevant public and non-public data from across a wide range of congressional and executive branch agencies that already collect relevant information. The information would be drawn from congressional entities like the CBO, the GAO, the CRS, and the Joint Committee on Taxation. Executive branch agencies from which the new office would draw data include the Labor Department, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US Census Bureau, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Commerce Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Education, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The immigration data office would also draw on state government and non-governmental data, including from academic researchers and think tanks.

The Case For 

Supporters argue that a governmental office authorized by Congress to conduct objective analyses regularly would better inform the public and policymakers, including providing a rational basis for adjusting visa caps up and down or making other changes to the immigration system. They argue the reports and accompanying data would also improve research conducted outside the government.

The Case Against

Some opponents of establishing an immigration data office agree that it would be beneficial in theory. Still, they argue that it would be challenging to implement with little real payoff in practice. Opponents note that similar bodies housed within the legislative branch, such as the Congressional Budget Office, have produced findings that are increasingly viewed with skepticism as partisan tensions grow. Given the uncertainty that the office’s research would bring about substantial change in immigration policy debates, critics contend that it is not worth the cost.