Immigration Glossary
The immigration system contains a complex array of terms and statuses, which are often used interchangeably. Below are some of the most common, briefly explained.
ASYLUM SEEKER: An individual who seeks U. S. protection based on a well-founded fear of persecution because of race, religion, social group, nationality or political opinion. Asylees can work and stay indefinitely. If granted, asylum creates a mandatory pathway to Lawful Permanent Resident status and eventual citizenship.
BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: Automatic citizenship for those born in U. S. territory, regardless of parents’ status, guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.
DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILD- HOOD ARRIVALS( DACA): Temporary protection for youth who entered the U. S. before their sixteenth birthday and have lived here since June 2007. The“ Dreamers” have work authorization but no legal path to citizenship.
HUMANITARIAN PAROLEE: A discretionary and temporary admission to a non- U. S. national“ for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.”
IMMIGRANT: A person who has left his or her native country to settle in another.
LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENT: A noncitizen, green card holder legally authorized to own property, live and work permanently. LPRs can apply for citizenship after five years.
NATURALIZED CITIZEN: A foreignborn individual who applies for and receives U. S. citizenship.
REFUGEES: Individual whose claim of persecution has been approved by the United Nations, has undergone U. S.-based background checks and has been admitted; is legally authorized to stay in the U. S. permanently. Creates a mandatory pathway to LPR status.
TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS: A temporary admission for foreign individuals in the U. S. who cannot return to their home countries for safety reasons, such as war or natural disasters.
TEMPORARY WORK VISAS: Temporary status granted by petition for eleven different categories of workers, ranging from agricultural, to athletes, to entertainers.
TEMPORARY STUDENT VISAS: Three categories of temporary authorization to study at a certified university or college, receive vocational training, or participate in academic exchange programs. Applicants typically must prove financial stability and intent to return home.
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT: An individual who has entered the U. S. without legal authorization. such trainings to prepare its members for a swift response.
“ There is that power of information, which is how we move past fear into action, and get ready for mass mobilization,” says AFL-CIO Political Director Autumn Guillotte.“ If we see an increase in federal action here, the labor movement is prepared to be there.”
The Rhode Island Council of Churches was one of twentysix litigants in a 2025 federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’ s recission of a policy that protected schools, churches and hospitals from immigration enforcement actions. It runs“ Know-Your-Rights” trainings and accompaniment trainings to teach congregants how to support immigrants by doing their grocery shopping or escorting their children to school. RICC Executive Minister Jeremy Langill says that the events in Minnesota spurred their members to act.
“ There’ s this sense in our faith communities that we can’ t just sit around. It’ s a matter of grace and of the mystery of faith. Christ has died, Christ has risen and Christ will come again. That’ s what we say every Sunday. That’ s got to mean something,” Langill says.
Pariseau joined the DDN in September because he“ wanted to defend democracy.” He had been manning shifts around the Providence courthouses, to encourage passersby to take the
DDN hotline number and to look for idling SUVs with tinted windows— telltale signs of ICE presence. One morning, he was standing on the corner blowing his whistle when a vehicle stopped and an occupant filmed him, raising concerns of making himself a target for federal retribution.
“ The fact that I even have to worry about that really makes me angry,” he says.“ I wasn’ t breaking any laws and yet I felt like there may be some repercussions— and that’ s very un-American and wrong.”
“ Señor! Cómo estás?”
Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera steps into the dim of Tony’ s Shoe Service, crammed with shoes awaiting repair or sale, photos of celebrity visitors and Central Falls history.
“ Ayi!” Abraham“ Tony” Hernandez opens his arms to her. In 1999, the Hernandez family left the Dominican Republic to settle here. A saddle-maker in the DR, his father became a zapatero— a cobbler— in the U. S. Abraham worked alongside his father to provide for the family and ensure his nine siblings were educated. Today, he counts a doctor, a lawyer and a teacher among the family’ s successes.
When he took over the shop on Broad Street, life here was“ difficult,” he says. But now Hernandez declares Central Falls
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