• Who is an Immigrant? Who is a refugee?
  • With thousands of Central Americans crossing the US border, massive waves of immigrants and refugees have been described.

    Border crossing across the US from the Central Americas has become a topic of everyday news. It has become a hard task for the government to distinguish if the migrants are subject to deportation to their home country or should be given asylum.  The Central Americans crossing the U.S. border in massive waves can be described as immigrants or refugees.The distinction is significant and could determine whether the migrants are subject to deportation to their home country or eligible to remain in the United States under asylum.

     Who are Immigrants?

    Individuals who embark to settle in another country is called as Immigrant. They opt to seek legal residency and eventually green card citizenship. Immigrants can be legal or illegal. Many of the highly skilled workers come through the legal way and become green card citizens, however there are many undocumented immigrants who have escaped from their country for better opportunities and crossed the border illegally. There are nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Several issues have cropped up with illegal immigrants and US administration are fighting day in and out to bring right immigration reform yet.

    Who are refugees?

    Refugees are people who have fled their home country in order to escape from their race, religion, nationality, and due to political opinion, are unwilling to return to their motherland. The recent border crossing to the US from Central Americans-Hondurans, Guatemalans and Salvadorans are fleeing to escape from drug and gang-fueled violence. They are eligible to apply for asylum in the US; it is a lengthy process and it would take years before getting refugee status. The applicants need to prove that there are at risks if they go back to their home country.  

     Children who have made it to the US would be covered by the law that has ensured all the children with a full immigration hearing instead of being turned away or sent back. The hearing would determine whether the children have a valid claim for asylum. The law is now cited as one cause behind a projected 90,000 children from Central America and Mexico who will cross the U.S. border alone or with other children this year. Asylum is a protection available to people who are already in the United States or are seeking admission at the U.S. border and eventually becoming green card citizens.

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