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Sources and method
Every figure on this site links to the document, dataset or report it comes from. Official statistics come first: national statistics offices, government departments, courts and UN agencies. Press reports are used where no official figure exists, and are labelled as secondary where they are the only source. Where sources disagree, the site shows both.
Which sources does this site use?
| Topic | Main sources |
|---|---|
| US population and immigrants | Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Pew Research Center, Migration Policy Institute, Congressional Research Service |
| US border and enforcement | CBP, ICE and DHS statistics; TRAC (Syracuse University); the Deportation Data Project |
| US law and policy | Federal Register, USCIS, Supreme Court and federal court rulings, presidential proclamations |
| Somali communities, US | Census ACS, Justice Department press releases and court records, Minnesota agencies, Sahan Journal, MPR News, Star Tribune, fact-checkers |
| Somali communities, Europe | Statistics Sweden (SCB), Brå, Statistics Norway (SSB), Statistics Denmark, Statistics Finland, ONS, Eurostat, EUAA |
| Somalia | UNHCR, UN agencies, World Bank |
| France | INSEE, Interior Ministry, French Senate, Conseil constitutionnel, France Assureurs (see the France sources page) |
| World | UN DESA, UNHCR, IOM, OECD International Migration Outlook, World Bank, Eurostat, national statistics offices |
How are key terms defined?
- Foreign-born / immigrant: a person living in a country who was born in another. Definitions vary. France's INSEE counts as immigrants only people born abroad who were not French at birth. The UN counts everyone born abroad.
- Unauthorized / irregular immigrant: a person living in a country without legal status. These numbers are always estimates.
- Removal / deportation: a formal order that sends a person out of the country. "Returns" and "self-deportations" are counted separately, and the US government's totals and independent counts often differ.
- TPS (Temporary Protected Status): a US status that lets nationals of designated countries stay and work temporarily. It is not permanent residence.
- Somali ancestry vs Somalia-born: Census ancestry counts include US-born children of Somali parents. Somalia-born counts include only people born in Somalia. Press figures often use wider definitions.
- Charged vs convicted: a charge is an accusation. People charged are presumed innocent until convicted.
Why do figures differ between sources?
Government and independent counts often measure different things or different periods. For example, ICE and TRAC count removals differently, and the Census Bureau and UN DESA give different US foreign-born totals. Crime statistics by origin differ depending on whether they count suspects, charges or convictions. They also differ on whether they are adjusted for age, sex, income and education. Where both adjusted and unadjusted rates exist, this site shows both.
How does this site handle sensitive data about communities?
Statements about crime or fraud give the number of individuals charged or convicted and the size of the community. No crime is attributed to a national, ethnic or religious group as a whole. Pending cases are described as allegations. Where official data does not record something, such as ethnicity or religion in French arrest data, the site says so rather than estimating it.
How is the site updated?
Each page shows the date it was last updated. Figures for developing events are dated as reported and marked as provisional. Corrections are made when an official source publishes a final or revised figure.