Introduction and Scope of the Report Stateless persons are individuals who are without the recognition or protection of any state.8 Without the protection of citizenship or nationality,9 stateless individuals are highly vulnerable to discrimination, abuse, and deprivation of essential human rights by the State in which they live and often by other members of society as well. As a result, many stateless individuals live in the shadows to minimize their risk of exposure to harsh treatment and potential expulsion. This “shadow” existence of many stateless individuals greatly impedes the ability to develop a full picture of statelessness globally and to make a precise determination of the number of stateless individuals in the world today. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are 12 million stateless persons worldwide, of which 3.5 million are found in countries for which there are reliable statistics counting stateless individuals.10 The United States is home to an undetermined number of stateless persons—many of whom have no lawful status or rights—who, like their counterparts around the world, do not enjoy the protections of citizenship or nationality from any government, leaving them vulnerable to discrimination, exploitation, lack of rights and security, detention, and even deportation. Stateless persons are affected on a daily basis by their lack of lawful bond with any country and the rights, protections, and obligations that flow from that bond, which keep them vulnerable and unable to fully engage in their communities and in society as a whole. Yet simple legislative and administrative remedies would 6 ensure their safety, protection, and ability to achieve full integration into society. This report focuses primarily on the especially vulnerable population of stateless individuals residing in the United States who have no path to acquire lawful status or become naturalized U.S. citizens under the current law.11 The report provides an overview of statelessness in the global context, including its causes and often grave consequences to those individuals who are stateless, the international legal framework, and the role of UNHCR. The report then discusses some of the key issues faced by this group of stateless individuals in the U.S. and concludes with recommendations of measures for the U.S. Government to take to ensure that these individuals receive the rights and responsibilities that will enable them to participate as full members of society. These individuals are destined to remain forever stateless and vulnerable unless concrete, specific actions are taken by the U.S. Government. These actions are delineated in the recommendations at the conclusion of this report. The year 2011 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Pursuant to its mandate and recognition by the U.N. General Assembly as the U.N. institution with the responsibility to address the concerns of stateless individuals,12 UNHCR launched a global campaign to raise awareness and increase State responsiveness to stateless individuals in their territories and throughout the world in commemoration of that occasion.13 Among the many Citizens of Nowhere: