Untangling the Messy Politics of Immigration Data

Join MWWIR on Friday, April 10th for a presentation from Dr. Austin Kocher, Assistant Professor at Syracuse University. During this session, Dr. Kocher will examine how immigration data becomes a site of contentious politics, from the collection and classification choices that shape what we can know to the strategic withholding and distortion of data for political ends. Moving beyond simple partisan narratives, this talk will serve as a practical guide for anyone working with immigration data — researchers, journalists, policy analysts, Hill staffers, and advocates — aiming for more transparent, rigorous public communication about immigration realities. 

Austin Kocher, PhD is an Assistant Research Professor at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and affiliated faculty in the Maxwell School's Department of Geography. His research examines U.S. immigration enforcement through public records requests and immigration data analysis, studying policing, detention, courts, and the deportation pipeline while working to communicate immigration issues to public audiences. His work has appeared in journals including Antipode, Georgetown Law Journal, and Territory, Politics, Governance, and he is a frequent media commentator on immigration issues for outlets such as NPR, The New York Times, and C-SPAN.