Barriers for Non-U.S. Citizens

Residents who are not US citizens face significant barriers, especially to citizenship and resources in foreign languages. The steps to acquire citizenship are tedious and expensive. As a result, many people are prevented from having access to the benefits and protection of citizenship. Residents who are not fluent in English face an additional language barrier. Resources and information are often not provided in languages other than English, making them inaccessible. People have the right to easy access to employment and educational visas, opportunities for citizenship, and public information in their native language.

Click the links below to learn more about how this is a harm

Pew Research Center's "Key findings about U.S. immigrants"

Gives a variety of statistics on immigrants in the U.S.

Pew Research Center's "20 metro areas are home to six-in-ten unauthorized immigrants in U.S."

Looks at the biggest U.S. hotspots for undocumented immigrants

American Psychological Association's "Undocumented Americans"

Discusses what it is like for children to grow up as an unauthorized immigrant

Immigration Policy Lab's "Projects"

Describes the Immigration Policy Lab's work to make it easier for people to legally immigrate into another country

The New Americans Campaign's "The Road to Naturalization: Addressing the Barriers to U.S. Citizenship"

Talks about the immigration process in the U.S. and why it is so hard to obtain citizenship

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' "Green Cards"

The U.S. Governments description of what makes someone eligible for a green card and how to get one