Breaking Through - Immigration and Social Concepts Vocabulary

A complete list of vocabulary terms and definitions from the lecture notes on immigration, refugee rights, and social discrimination concepts.

Alien

A person who is not a citizen of a country

Green Card

Document showing evidence of your lawful, permanent resident status in the United States; the term of the card is 10 years, but it is renewable

Guest Worker Program

A program that offers a way to permit U.S. employers to sponsor non-U.S. citizens as laborers temporarily when there is a shortage of domestic workers

ICE (U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, ie. la migra)

Enforces federal laws governing border control, customs, trade and immigration to promote homeland security and public safety

Naturalization

The process by which U.S. citizenship is granted to a foreign citizen or national after he or she fulfills the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)

Visa

A mark on a passport that is a sign of approval and permission for a traveler to enter a country

Immigrant

A person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country

Migrant Worker

A person who travels from one area to another, often in search of work; someone who chooses to move not because of a direct threat or persecution but mainly to improve their lives by finding work, seeking better education, or reuniting with family; unlike refugees who cannot safely return home, migrants can return home if they wish

Refugee

A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster; a person who meets the eligibility criteria under the applicable refugee definition, as provided for by international or regional instruments, under UNHCR’s mandate, and/or in national legislation

Unaccompanied Children/Minors

Children who are not in the company of parents or another adult caregiver.

Dreamers

A person who has lived in the US without official authorization since coming to the country as a minor; people of this description who met certain conditions would be eligible for a special immigration status under federal legislation first proposed in 2001 (DACA)

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

A program intended to allow undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as minors to legally remain in the country to study or work

Asylum

The grant, by a State, of protection on its territory to persons from another State who are fleeing persecution or serious danger; asylum encompasses a variety of elements, including non-refoulement, permission to remain on the territory of the asylum country, and humane standards of treatment

Asylum-Seeker

A person who has left their home country and is seeking international protection on the grounds that returning to his or her country would lead to persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, or political beliefs; not every asylum-seeker will ultimately be recognized as a refugee, but every refugee was initially an asylum-seeker

Non-Refoulement

The practice of not forcing refugees or asylum seekers to return to a country in which they are liable to be subjected to persecution

Trafficking (Human)

The organized illegal movement of persons for profit; the critical additional factor that distinguishes trafficking from migrant smuggling is the presence of force, coercion and/or deception throughout or at some stage in the process — such deception, force or coercion being used for the purpose of exploitation

Voluntary Repatriation

Return to the country of origin based on the refugees’ free and informed decision

Resettlement

The transfer of refugees from the country in which they have sought asylum to another State that has agreed to admit them; the refugees will usually be granted asylum or some other form of long-term resident rights and, in many cases, will have the opportunity to become naturalized citizens

Microaggression

A statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority

Bullying

Seeking to harm, intimidate, or coerce (someone perceived as vulnerable); some synonyms include to persecute, oppress, tyrannize, torment, browbeat, intimidate; coerce, strong-arm, subjugate, domineer, pressure, badger, and push around

Prejudice

An assumption, opinion, or feeling about someone simply based on that person's membership to a particular group, often tied to ethnicity, gender, or religion; a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience

Discrimination

The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, religion, gender, or sexual orientation; the act of making unjustified distinctions between human beings based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they are perceived to belong