Who is an Immigrant?
Immigrants and Refugees

Module 2. Who is an Immigrant?

I. Doing your own research, consider the following questions:

· What countries represent the 5 largest sources of undocumented immigrants in the U.S.? where did this information come from?

1. 4.

2. 5.

3. Source:

· In what ways can individuals be undocumented, or more specifically, out of status, other than crossing the border undetected

· Can international students, diplomats, overseas business workers and their spouses, or tourists be considered Immigrants? Please explain your rationality and sources for reaching your conclusions. Consider political and economic factors, as well as length of stay, reasons for migrating, desire or capability to return home, and a society’s prevalent ideas about immigration as you answer your question.

· What is the difference between immigrants and refugees? Why do we make these distinctions (socially and Politically)? Who gets to decide this distinction and what are some consequences of this difference in definitions?

II. After reviewing the materials from module 2, please answer the following questions:

· Can you spot some commonalities among these stories? What do they reveal about the process of Migration to the US?

· What do these stories say about the immigrants themselves, about the process of migration to the US, and about the structure and politics of US Migration?

III. Migration seems to be at the core of human activity. According to some estimates, humans have been on the move for over 100,000 years, eventually populating all habitable regions of our planet. Do our current political realities realistically address this phenomena? Please explain your rationality and give supporting examples.