Throughout the U.S., there is a huge backlog of immigration cases. Some involve individuals who were detained at the border. Other cases are individuals who failed to appear for immigration hearings after being allowed to enter the U.S.. Why can’t the undocumented be deported as soon as their status is determined? Why are new arrivals allowed to leave custody in the first place?

Over the last decade, the number of migrants entering America’s southern border has increased dramatically, from about 500 thousand per year pre-pandemic to nearly 4 million on an annualized basis in 2024. What factors are behind this massive increase?

The debate over the legality and morality of abortion has been further shaped by the Supreme Court’s June 24th, 2022, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision overturning Roe v. Wade. States now set their own policies protecting, limiting, or outright banning abortion access without any federal standard for access to abortion. This policy change has created a new focus on medication abortion. In many cases, the current debate does not consider real-world facts about the number, method, and timing of abortions in contemporary America. This brief addresses the following questions: First, how many abortions take place? Is abortion becoming more or less common? Second, at what point in pregnancies are abortions occurring? Third, how are new methods changing the way abortions are performed?