Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law 53 (2021) Ghosts in America: Working Towards Building a Legal Framework for Stateless Individuals in the United States legal status in the United States, they are non-deportable because they lack citizenship papers needed to enter any country. 52 Working towards a solution for stateless individuals that would take them out of legal limbo in the United States is important because the longer they remain stateless, the longer they lack the protections afforded to them by an effective nationality or a country that is prepared to exercise protection and consular services on their behalf. 53 Because they are invisible, they are dangerously at risk of slavery, child trafficking, prostitution, police harassment, recruitment into the armed forces, forced labor, and other forms of abuse. 54 In Part Four, I will discuss policy options that the United States can employ while it waits for an international solution. Those options include: 1) the creation of a new state for the stateless; 2) the placement of stateless individuals in indefinite detention; 3) the creation of a residency permit system specifically designed for stateless individuals; and 4) the adoption of legislative amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that incorporates protections for stateless individuals. It is important to note however that in the absence of an international approach, there is no perfect solution for the United States—only the least objectionable solution. Part One: Understanding Statelessness A) Causes of Statelessness Statelessness can be caused by several factors. 55 These factors typically fall into three categories: 1) State succession; 2) discrimination and arbitrary denial or deprivation of nationality; and 3) technical causes. 56 This Section will introduce and explain each of the three principle categories. 52. Id. at 361. 53. See Invisible and Vulnerable, World’s Stateless Face Bleak Future, DW, https://www.dw.com/en/invisible-and-vulnerable-worlds-stateless-facebleak-future/a-15350795-0 [https://perma.cc/48KE-VGML]. 54. Id. 55. U.N. High Comm’r for Refugees (UNHCR), What is Statelessness?, at 1 [hereinafter What is Statelessness?]. 56. Citizens of Nowhere, supra note 3, at 13. 364