Academic Bio
Dr. Austin Kocher is a geographer and Assistant Research Professor](https://newhouse.syracuse.edu/people/austin-kocher) in the Office of Research and Creative Activity in the S.I. Newhouse of Public Communication at Syracuse University. He was previously at the Civic Research Data Lab (CRDL) and the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a research lab at Syracuse University that uses Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to study the U.S. immigration enforcement apparatus. He also has a faculty appointment in Syracuse University’s Department of Geography, an affiliated expert at the Institute for Democracy, Journalism, and Citizenship, and he is a research fellow at the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS) at American University. He graduated from the Ohio State University in 2017 with Ph.D. in geography.
Dr. Austin Kocher’s research explores the political and legal geography of immigration enforcement in the United States, with a focus on the expansion of mass immigrant surveillance, the digitization of asylum processes, and the spatial dimensions of immigration detention and deportation. His work critically examines how immigration enforcement agencies use legal mechanisms, data collection, and surveillance technologies to exert control over noncitizens, often with profound consequences for due process and human rights. He also investigates the role of public records, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and data-driven analysis in exposing systemic patterns of enforcement and government accountability. Through interdisciplinary methods, including legal case research, counter-mapping, and large-scale data analysis, his scholarship highlights the intersection of immigration policy, sovereignty, and state power. Ultimately, his research seeks to challenge dominant narratives about immigration enforcement and provide empirical insights into the evolving landscape of U.S. immigration control.
His research has appeared in journals such as Antipode, American Behavioral Scientist, Territory, Politics, Governance, Societies, Georgetown Law Journal, and Journal of Latin American Geography. Kocher is often featured in the national news as an expert on immigration, including outlets such as C-SPAN, NPR, The New York Times, NPR’s Morning Edition, and many more.
He is current based in the DC area.
Networks & Affiliations
- Migration Scholar Collaborative
- Border Criminologies + Technology and Digital Futures Group
- Legal Geography Specialty Group
