Immigration Databases, Information Sharing Systems, and Case Management Systems (Table)

This table introduces the vocabulary used by some federal and state databases and information sharing systems and federal investigative and case management systems and technology that play a role in immigration enforcement. It does not aim to be comprehensive, because the databases and systems are so numerous and the interrelationships among them so complex. Immigration enforcement depends not only on these databases and this technology — informal communications or collaboration between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and state and local law enforcement officers or department of motor vehicle employees also play an important role. We hope this table will help uncover the mystery behind some of these databases and systems, often known only by their acronyms.

A list of acronyms and abbreviations used in the table is provided on page 13. For more detailed information, see our report Untangling the Immigration Enforcement Web: Basic Information for Advocates about Databases and Information Sharing Among Federal, State, and Local Agencies.