Elementary School Level 

A new bill called Orlin's Law has been introduced in Congress by Representative Pramila Jayapal. A bill is a proposal for a new law that lawmakers are discussing. This proposal was created after a very sad event involving a 3-year-old boy named Orlin Hernandez Reyes. Orlin's mother was taken into custody by immigration officers and sent back to her home country of Honduras. Her lawyer and court records show that she asked officers to let her take her young son with her. Howev

On July 7, a 52-year-old man named Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was pulled over by officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while driving in Houston, Texas. Mr. Salgado Araujo was a construction business owner from Mexico who had lived in Houston for about 35 years. During the traffic stop, an officer shot him, and he later passed away at a hospital. Different people have different accounts of what happened during the stop: What federal officers said: ICE stated

In a neighborhood in Houston, Texas called Magnolia Park, a local construction worker named Lorenzo Salgado Araujo recently passed away after a sad incident involving federal officers. He was 52 years old and a well-known member of the community. Because Mr. Salgado Araujo reminded many local teenagers of their own parents, uncles, or family members, his death hit very close to home. Since then, a group of Mexican American teenagers in the area has been meeting every weekend.

People move to the United States for many reasons. Some come to work, go to school, be with family, or stay safe. The government has rules about who can live and work in the country. A legal immigrant is someone who has permission from the government to live or work in the United States. They follow the immigration rules that apply to them. An illegal immigrant is someone who is in the United States without the permission the law requires. This can happen if they entered the

Learning about immigration is important, but helping others is even more important. There are many simple ways you can help. Know your rights. Everyone in the United States has basic rights, no matter where they were born. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) has free "Red Cards" that explain these rights. People can carry these cards if they need them. Have a family plan. Families can make a plan in case someone has to leave suddenly. They can write down important phon

What Was Proposition 187? Proposition 187 was a law that people in California voted on in 1994. It was also called the "Save Our State" initiative. The law was about undocumented immigrants. These are people who live in the United States without official immigration papers. The law wanted to stop undocumented immigrants from using some public services, like public schools and some healthcare. What Did the Law Say? If the law had gone into effect, it would have: Stopped many u

What Is DACA? DACA is a program that helps people who came to the United States when they were young. These children grew up in America, went to school here, and made friends here. But they do not have the same immigration papers as many other people. How Does DACA Help? DACA can help people by: Letting them stay in the United States for a while without being forced to leave. Letting them get a job when they are old enough to work. Letting them get a Social Security number. L

Have you ever seen a food drive at school? In the United States, there are special programs that help families buy healthy food when money is tight. One of the biggest programs is called SNAP (which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). People often ask questions about how these programs work and who can use them. Here is what you need to know! Sometimes people think anyone who moves to America can instantly get free food help. But that is actually a myth! Th

When we talk about public health, we are talking about how we keep our neighborhoods, schools, and cities healthy and safe! Immigrants play a very special role in keeping everyone in our country healthy. Have you ever visited a doctor or a clinic when you were sick? There is a big chance that the person helping you was an immigrant! In the United States, about 1 out of every 4 doctors came from another country to work here. Many immigrant doctors move to quiet farm towns or b

Sometimes people worry that new immigrants might take away jobs or use too much money. But when we look at the facts, immigrants actually do amazing things to make our country stronger! 1. Growing Up and Helping Out When immigrants have children, those kids grow up, get jobs, and pay taxes. In fact, they often pay more in taxes to help the country than many other people! 2. Helping Pay for Big Things When many new families move to a town at once, local schools and services mi

What Is Temporary Protected Status (TPS)? Imagine your home becomes unsafe because of a war, a big earthquake, or another disaster. You might need to stay somewhere else until it is safe to go back. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a program that lets people from certain countries stay safely in the United States for a while if their home country is too dangerous to return to. How Does TPS Work? People who already live in the United States when their country is chosen for

Have you ever heard the United States called a "nation of immigrants"? That's because, except for Native Americans, almost everyone living in the country today has a family who originally moved here from somewhere else in the world. Today, tens of millions of people living in America were born in other countries. Let's look at the numbers, where people come from, and how they shape the nation! What Percentage of the U.S. Is Immigrants? About 15% of everyone living in the Unit

If you watch the news, you might see videos of officers from an agency called ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) arresting people. Sometimes these arrests look very rough, and people get hurt. People have said that ICE needs to focus on deporting "the worst of the worst." That phrase means people who have committed dangerous, violent crimes like hurting others or stealing. It makes sense that people want communities to be safe! But when researchers look closely at who

In 1954, the U.S. government started a special program called Operation Wetback. Controlled by border officers and the military, its goal was to find Mexican workers who were living in the United States without legal permission and send them back to Mexico. The word "wetback" was an unkind nickname used long ago for Mexican immigrants who swam or walked across the Rio Grande river to enter the country. Today, people recognize it as a hurtful word, but historians still use the

Imagine if you had a giant farm with millions of crops ready to be picked, but you didn’t have enough workers to harvest the food before it spoiled. That is exactly what happened in the United States during World War II. Because many American workers left their jobs to serve in the military overseas, the U.S. government turned to its neighbor, Mexico, for help. In 1942, the two countries created a special agreement called the Bracero Program. The word bracero comes from the S

In the mid-1800s, thousands of people from China traveled across the Pacific Ocean to the United States. Many came during the California Gold Rush to search for gold, while others took on dangerous jobs building the Transcontinental Railroad, which connected the East Coast and West Coast for the first time. Even though these Chinese workers helped build the nation, they faced unfair treatment and unfair laws. In 1882, the U.S. government passed a law called the Chinese Exclus

To understand modern phrases about immigration and land, it helps to look back at how the United States grew and changed over the last few centuries. Long before European explorers arrived, millions of Indigenous peoples (Native Americans) lived across North America. Different tribes—such as the Cherokee, Navajo, Haudenosaunee, and Tongva—had their own distinct cultures, languages, and ways of governing. They lived on and cared for these lands for thousands of years. Starting

When people move to a new country, they usually need permission from that country's government. One way to get permission is by receiving a visa. A visa is like a special pass that tells someone they are allowed to enter or stay in a country for a certain reason. There are many different kinds of visas because people come to a country for many different reasons. Family Visas Many people move to be with the people they love. A family visa lets family members, like parents, chi

These are the major rules that run basically everything in immigration. INA (Immigration and Nationality Act): The giant rulebook for U.S. immigration. It is a massive law passed by Congress that contains almost every single immigration rule. APA (Administrative Procedure Act): The "rulebook for making rules." It is a law that tells government agencies exactly how they must behave when they create new regulations, ensuring they play fairly. Comprehensive Immigration Reform (C

When things go wrong or rules are broken, people have to go to a special court system. Deportation (removal) / Removal proceedings: Deportation (also called removal) is when the government officially forces a non-citizen to leave the country. "Removal proceedings" is the name of the court trial where a judge decides if the person must leave or can stay. Currently in Removal Proceedings: This means a person is currently in the middle of their court trial, and the judge hasn't

The government has strict rules about how you enter the country, and there are serious consequences if rules are broken. Entry with Inspection: Entering the U.S. and following the rules. This means you walked or drove through an official border station, showed your passport, and an officer said, "Welcome, you may enter." Entry without Inspection (EWI): Crossing into the U.S. secretly without stopping at a border station or showing papers to an officer. This is against the rul

Most people don't go through the immigration process alone. These terms are used to call the people who help during the process. Sponsorship (income requirement) / Affidavit of support: An "Affidavit of Support" is a serious contract signed by a sponsor. The sponsor promises the government that they make enough money to help take care of the immigrant so they won’t run out of money or food. Employer-Based petition: When a company or boss asks the government to let a talented

These terms are about the process of moving from a temporary visitor in the U.S. to a permanent resident. Adjustment of Status / 245(a): The process of upgrading your paperwork to get a Green Card while you are already staying inside the United States, without having to fly back to your home country. "245(a)" is the section of the law that allows this. 245(i): An old, special rule that allows some people who made a mistake with their paperwork in the past to still pay a fine

Getting a green card or visa can take a very long time. These are terms for when someone is waiting to get one. Priority date: Your "place in line." When you turn in your immigration paperwork, the government stamps it with a date. You have to wait until that date is called before you can get your visa. Visa bulletin categories: A monthly calendar or chart published by the government that updates everyone on whose turn it is to get their visa based on their priority date. Cur

On June 30, the United States Supreme Court made a major decision to protect birthright citizenship in a 6-3 vote. They ruled that the U.S. Constitution promises that any child born in the United States is automatically an American citizen, no matter where their parents came from or what kind of legal status they have. The lawsuit, called Trump v. Barbara, was all about what the 14th Amendment of the Constitution really means. Three different families started the case—Barbara

The U.S. government uses lots of numbers, codes, and specific forms to keep track of everyone inside of the country. A-number (alien registration number): A unique seven-, eight-, or nine-digit number given to immigrants. Think of it like a student ID number, but for immigration. Employment Authorization Document (EAD): A plastic photo card that says, "The government gives you permission to work a job and earn money in the United States." Social security card: A paper card wi

These are the official documents and permissions that let people travel or stay. Immigration: The word for when a person leaves the country they were born in to go live and make a new home in a different country. Immigration status: The official, legal category the government puts you in (like "Visitor," "Student," or "Permanent Resident"). It shows what your rules are while you are in the country. Visa / Nonimmigrant visa: An official permission slip from a government. It is

Sometimes people have to leave their home countries because it is too dangerous to stay. The U.S. has special rules to protect them. Asylum: Safety given by the U.S. government to someone who fled their home country because they were being treated badly or were in danger because of who they are or what they believe. Temporary Protected Status (TPS): A temporary "safety timeout." If a country has a terrible war or a huge natural disaster (like an earthquake), the U.S. lets peo

The U.S. Constitution is the highest law in the country. It explains what the government can do and also places limits on its power. This means the government must follow the Constitution, even when enforcing immigration laws. Some rights, like voting in federal elections, are only for U.S. citizens. However, many constitutional rights protect everyone living in the United States. These protections apply to lawful permanent residents, visa holders, refugees, asylum seekers, a

Have you ever heard adults talking about a group called ICE? It stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and it is a group that people have very strong feelings about, whether those feelings are good or bad. To understand why ICE exists right now, we have to travel back in time to look at the group that came before it, called the INS (which stood for Immigration and Naturalization Service). The INS For a long time, there was only one big group that handled immigration

If you turn on the TV or listen to adults talking, you might hear the word immigration a lot. You might hear about new rules, borders, or laws. You might understand it, or you don't. Either way, it you hear about immigration constantly. Why is that? Even if you were born in the United States and have lived here your whole life, these big news stories affect you and your daily life! 1. Our Friends and Classrooms The most important place we see immigration is right inside our s

Here is a guide to the four main ways people get their U.S. citizenship. Path 1: Born in the U.S.A. (Birthright Citizenship) This is the most common way to become a citizen, and it is also the easiest! How it works: If a baby is born physically inside the United States (like in a hospital in California, New York, or any other state) they are automatically a U.S. citizen from the very second they are born. It doesn't matter where their parents are from! Path 2: Born to U.S. Pa

These words describe the different titles or labels given to people based on their connection to the U.S. US Citizen: Someone who was either born here or went through a special process to become a citizen. They have all the rights and protections the country offers. Alien: "Alien" is a word for anyone who is not a U.S. citizen yet. Nonimmigrant: A "Nonimmigrant" is someone who is just visiting for a short time (like for a vacation or school) and plans to go back to their hom

There are three main departments that take care of immigration. Immigration is how people from another country get permission to visit, work, or live here in the United States! The first one is the Department of Homeland Security, or for short, the DHS! The DHS includes 3 smaller teams that you may hear people talking about. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) This team takes care of making sure people living in the U.S. don’t break the rules, especially immigration law