alien: A person who is not a citizen of the country in which he or she lives. A legal alien is someone who lives in a foreign country with the approval of that country. An undocumented, or illegal, alien is someone who lives in a foreign country without the legal approval of that country. See undocumented immigrant. appeal: A written request to a higher court to modify or reverse the judgment of lower level court. asylum: Legal permission to live in a country given by its government to people fleeing danger or persecution in their original homelands. A country of asylum grants a person asylum. A country of first asylum gives a person temporary asylum until he or she leaves it for another country. A person who seeks safety in a foreign country from danger at home is an asylum seeker. An asylee is someone who has been granted asylum. advocacy: Pleading the cause of others: the act of upholding or defending as valid or right. bias: A personal prejudice in opinion or action. bipartisan: Having to do with both political parties (Democrat and Republican). bill: A policy proposal, put forward for a vote in a legislative body. cancellation of removal: Legal permission for a legal permanent resident (LPR) to remain in the United States, if their removal would create extreme hardship on a U.S. citizen or LPR spouse, parent, or child. The individual must have lived in the U.S. for a certain period of time and must not have committed a crime. citizen: A person born in the United States (or to citizen parents abroad) or a person who has immigrated and gone through the naturalization process. civic engagement: Working to make a difference in one s community for the common good. common ground: Areas of interest or opinion in common with other individuals or groups. communication: An exchange of thoughts, ideas, or opinions using words or non-verbal messages to convey meaning. country of origin: The country from which a person emigrates (moves away from). debate: An argument, sometimes formal, about an issue between two or more parties. declaration: A statement or document that declares a position or announcement. deliberation: The process of thoughtfully considering options or opinions and making a decision based on all possible information. deliberative dialogue: A form of discussion that aims to promote common understandings and find mutually agreeable courses of action. deportation: See removal. detainee: An alien in the custody of government authorities who is waiting for officials to decide if he or she may stay in the country or will be forced to leave. Also called internee. 280
Department of Homeland Security (DHS): The U.S. government entity whose branches have taken over the responsibilities of the former INS. The agency is headed by the Secretary of Homeland Security, responsible for aspects of law enforcement related to homeland security, including immigration. DHS s immigration functions are divided primarily in 3 components: USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) responsible for benefits and adjudications; ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) responsible for interior enforcement of immigration and customs matters (detention, prosecution, deportation); CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) responsible for border controls of agriculture, customs, including border patrol and inspection. Department of Justice (DOJ): The entity that hears immigration cases and administers immigration laws along with DHS. This agency is headed by U.S. Attorney General, responsible for federal civil and criminal law enforcement. The Executive Office for Immigration Review, a component of DOJ, houses the Board of Immigration Appeals and the U.S. Immigration Courts, both of which are responsible for the adjudication of removal cases. dialogue: A verbal exchange between people that communicates thoughts, emotions, opinions, or other information. dignity: Bearing self-worth, evident as self-esteem or pride. displaced person: A person who has been forced by dangerous circumstances to leave home for a place of safety within the home country. The dangerous circumstances could be natural disasters such as droughts or storms or they could be persecution or social unrest such as wars or revolutions. If a person flees to a place within the home country, he or she is called displaced. If that person flees to another country, he or she is called a refugee. documented immigrant: A person from another country who has authorization from the U.S. government to reside in the United States. dual citizenship: Holding citizenship in two countries at the same time. economy: The wealth or resources of a given country, measured in part by production and consumption of goods and services. emigrate: To move from one country or region to another. An emigrant is a person who leaves their home countries to settle elsewhere. employment-based immigration: The authorized movement of people into the United States for purposes of work, or employment. exile: To send someone out of a place; to banish. Unlike a deportee, who is forced to leave a country where he or she is not a citizen, an exile is a person who is forced to leave his or her home country. When a legal decree or banishment forces a person to leave, he or she is in involuntary exile. When circumstances cause a person to leave, he or she is in voluntary exile. fact: A true statement or statistic. family-based immigration: The authorized movement of people into the United States for purposes of joining family members. 281
family reunification: U.S. citizens and lawful permanent resident may sponsor certain close relatives to live in the United States. fictional: Fabricated or made up, not true. forced migration: The involuntary movement of people. foreign-born: Persons born outside of their country of residence. (See also immigrants. ) green card: A slang term describing the legal document that indicates that a person who is not a citizen has been granted lawful permanent resident (LPR) status in the United States. Such a resident alien can permanently live and work in the U.S. unless he or she commits certain acts that would cause removal, such as committing certain crimes or abandoning his or her residency by living outside of the U.S. Habeas Corpus: Filed by prisoners who seek release from prison, it requires that the inmate be brought to court to determine whether he/she is unlawfully imprisoned and whether or not to release the person. human rights: Fundamental rights regarded as belonging to all people, as established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. Human rights are part of many international treaties, declarations, and conventions. illegal immigrant: See undocumented immigrant. immigrate: To move to a country where one is not a native. Immigrants are people who come to a country where they intend to settle permanently and obtain citizenship. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): See DHS. Immigration Court: Part of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and the Department of Justice agency responsible for hearing and deciding removal (deportation) hearings. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS): The government agency that administered the country s immigration laws and procedures until March 2003. inequality: Being unequal or uneven, often used to describe social conditions or wealth distribution. interpreter: A person who translates one language into another for people communicating in different languages. lawful permanent resident (LPR): Status allows a non-citizen to remain in the U.S. permanently and, under certain conditions, to eventually apply to become a U.S. citizen if he or she so chooses. LPR status is not the same as citizenship - LPRs may be deported from the U.S. and may abandon their status if they remain outside the U.S. for an extended period of time. legislation: A law or group of laws that is enacted by a government body, such as Congress. listening: The act of hearing what is being communicated. long-term resident: A person living in a country or community for an extended period of time. 282
migrant: A person who moves from one country (or place) to another. migrate: To move from one place and settle in another. Migration may also result from natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions or droughts, or from social disorders such as wars and revolutions. migrant workers: Also called economic migrants, they must travel from place to place, sometimes from country to country, to find employment. This migration is often determined by what crops need harvesting and in which season. myth: A false belief, either intentionally or mistakenly created and maintained by public perpetuation. native-born: Persons born in their country of residence. nativism: The policy or practice of prejudice against immigrants in favor of the native-born, established inhabitants of a country. A nativist is someone who ascribes to nativism. naturalize: The process by which an immigrant becomes a citizen. Naturalized citizens in the United States have all the rights of native-born citizens except election to certain public offices such as the Presidency. Non-governmental organization (NGO): Nonprofit organizations working anywhere in the world, usually operating for the betterment of humanity (e.g., The Advocates for Human Rights, The Red Cross, Oxfam, CARE). non-immigrant: A person who plans to be in the United States temporarily, such as a person with a tourist or student visa. opinion: A personally held idea or belief. persecution: Mistreatment or oppression based on characteristics such as race, gender, or political opinions. perspective: One s viewpoint, or the way a person sees things, sometimes referring to a set of personal ideas or beliefs. policy proposal: See bill. public policy: A law or group of laws to address a public issue. pull factor: A condition or consideration that attracts an immigrant to a particular country. poverty: The state of being very poor, lacking sufficient resources to meet even basic needs. push factor: A condition or consideration in a that leads people to move out of their home country. refoulement: When a person is forcibly returned to the home country where his or her life or freedom would be threatened. refuge: Protection or shelter; relief; a place to which one goes for help, comfort, or escape. refugee: A person who leaves his or her country of origin because of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. (Definition 283
used by U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 and the United Nations.) Persons meeting that definition may be eligible for political asylum or refugee status. The term economic refugee is sometimes used to describe someone who does not meet the refugee definition because his or her survival is threatened not by persecution but by conditions like poverty or famine. reliability: A measure of how dependable something is, for example, how consistently accurate a source of information proves to be. removal: Formerly called deportation, removal is the process by which the government expels non-citizens from the US. repatriate: To return someone to his or her home country. Voluntary repatriation is when a person chooses to return to the home country. This may occur when the danger that threatened the person has ended. Involuntary repatriation, forced repatriation, or refoulement occurs when a person is forced to return to the home country against his or her will. This may occur when the country where a person seeks asylum does not recognize that person as a refugee; i.e., a person with a well-founded fear of persecution. resettlement: Moving a refugee from the country of first asylum to another country where he or she can settle permanently. Resettlement occurs when the refugee has no hope of returning safely to the home country. People waiting to be moved from the country of first asylum are often kept in resettlement camps until a place of resettlement can be found in another country. respect: Admiration, esteem, or regard for a person, thing, or idea. sponsor: A U.S. company or person who files a petition for an alien to enter the U.S. as a legal immigrant. trust: Confidence in the ability or reliability of another person or thing. unauthorized immigrant: See undocumented immigrant. undocumented immigrant: A person who enters or stays in a country without legal permission from the government. Illegal immigrant is also used as a derogatory term to describe a person who is undocumented. UNHCR: Acronym for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. visa: A permit granted to aliens that allows them to enter the United States. There are two basic kinds of visas: temporary visas (like those used by tourists visiting the United States) and permanent, or immigrant visas (for those who are applying to stay in the United States on a long-term basis). Visitors from certain countries do not need visas for short-term stays. voluntary departure: Permission granted to a non-citizen to leave the United States on his own voluntarily. This person could potentially re-enter legally at a later time. welcoming environment: Safe, inviting surroundings that allow a person to fully express her thoughts, feelings, and opinions; learn; and achieve. work-based immigration: If a company is looking to fill a position and cannot find someone in the U.S. to do the job, it is allowed to look elsewhere in the world to find a qualified person. This person must have special skills, such as an expertise in a particular field, in order for the company to be permitted to sponsor her. 284 Sources: The Uprooted, American Immigration Lawyers Association, and The Advocates for Human Rights