Immigration Status – Legal or Illegal and What that Really Means

Simply put, an immigrant is someone who has entered a country from another country for the purpose of becoming and remaining a permanent resident of the new country. What becomes much less simple, though, is trying to determine who is a legal immigrant and who is what’s often called an “illegal alien” – and what the difference is between the two.

An illegal alien is a person who has entered the country without the valid, legal papers required to become a citizen or a person who has stayed in the country after their temporary or limited duration legal papers have expired. There are certain advantages afforded to legal immigrants that a person who entered or stayed in a country illegally would not have access to.

While all people – illegal or legal – should have access to basic human rights and should never be subjected to discrimination, lack of due process, or the absence of basic emergency medical care, there are some city and state governments who would deny anyone who is in the country illegally any kind of public and some private benefits. This includes public education for children of illegal aliens, public assistance for illegal immigrants living below the poverty level, and even worker’s compensation coverage should an undocumented non-citizen become hurt on their job.

While it may be relatively simple to find out in theory what rights an illegal immigrant may be denied, in practice, it is much more difficult to determine. As a point of fact: aliens are not legally allowed to hold a job in a country where they are not a citizen and do not have a legal work visa that allows them access to employment. In actual practice, though, the illegal immigrant population makes up quite a significant portion of the workforce in some cities and towns. So if an undocumented alien holds a job – even illegally – and pays taxes on his earnings, should he be denied the basic benefits those taxes often help pay for? There are ardent supporters for both sides of that weighty and often confusing debate.

There are also often legal ramifications for not having the proper paperwork if an illegal non-citizen is caught during the commission of a crime or, in some areas, is simply stopped during a routine traffic stop. If a city is not a sanctuary city, public officials may have the right to ask for immigration status and may even start deportation proceedings or involve the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

If you or someone you know is an illegal alien and has been arrested or is in the custody of the ICE, there is help. 1-800-Libertad.com (1-800-542-3782) can assist you with Immigration Bonds and Criminal Bail Bonds, and can help you through the often complicated and confusing steps of helping a loved one who has been detained because of their citizenship status. For more information, call 1-800-Libertad (1-800-542-3782) or visit: http://www.1800libertad.com/.