11 Facts About American Immigrants

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1. There are nearly 12 million undocumented citizens in the United States. The politically correct term for a foreign worker is “undocumented worker,” not “illegal immigrant.”^["Immigrants' Rights." American Civil Liberties Union. https://www.aclu.org/immigrants-rights (accessed July 28, 2014).]
2. The bill called Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM Act) is aimed at sending undocumented immigrants to college. Applicants must have come to the US before the age of 16 and have been in the US for five or more years.^["DREAM Act." National Immigration Law Center. https://nilc.org/dreamsummary.html (accessed July 28, 2014).]
3. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was introduced as a substitute of the DREAM Act. Since June 2012, it has provided certain young immigrants with the opportunity to avoid deportation and possibly acquire work authorization.^["Homeland Security." Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. http://www.dhs.gov/deferred-action-childhood-arrivals (accessed July 28, 2014).]
4. The Obama administration has removed nearly 2 million immigrants, the highest number under any president. You can use Instagram to educate you friends about unjust deportation. Sign up for Pride Over Prejudice.^[Golash-Boza, Tannya. "Mapping the Shift from Border to Interior Enforcement of Immigration Laws during the Obama Presidency." Online, accessed February 2014.]
5. Becoming a citizen costs money. Just to apply for citizenship costs over $600 per person.^["N-400, Application for Naturalization." USCIS. http://www.uscis.gov/n-400 (accessed July 28, 2014).]
6. Marrying a US Citizen doesn't make you a US Citizen. An immigrant cannot even qualify to become a citizen unless he or she has been married to and living with the US citizen for three years.^["HOW TO GET LEGAL STATUS THROUGH YOUR FAMILY MEMBER – NOW OR IN THE FUTURE." Department of Justice. http://www.justice.gov/eoir/probono/Adjustment%20of%20Status%20-%20English%20(9).pdf (accessed July 28, 2014).]
7. There are more than 30 types of visas for temporary visitors.^["Directory of Visa Categories." Directory of Visa Categories. http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/general/all-visa-categories.html (accessed July 28, 2014).]
8. 8. The test to become a citizen involves four sections: speaking English, reading English, writing English, and American civics. There are exceptions: for instance, some immigrants can take the civics test in his or her native language.^["Study for the Test." USCIS. http://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/learners/study-test (accessed July 27, 2014).]
9. Mexican immigrants account for the majority of both legal immigrants and unauthorized immigrants.^["A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States." Pew Research Centers Hispanic Trends Project RSS. http://www.pewhispanic.org/2009/04/14/a-portrait-of-unauthorized-immigrants-in-the-united-states/ (accessed July 28, 2014).]
10. Immigrants pay taxes. According to the University of Chicago, legal immigrants pay income taxes but are not eligible for income benefits like Social Security. All types of immigrants pay sales tax and real estate tax like everyone else.^["The Welfare Economics of Immigration Law: A Theoretical Survey With An Analysis of U.S. Policy." University of Chicago. http://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/files/10.Sykes_.Immigration.pdf (accessed July 28, 2014).]
11. Incarceration rates are lower for immigrants than for their native-born counterparts. That's because immigrants are less likely to commit crimes.^["From Anecdotes to Evidence: Setting the Record Straight on Immigrants and Crime." Immigration Policy Center. http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/anecdotes-evidence-setting-record-straight-immigrants-and-crime-0 (accessed July 27, 2014).]