Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 2
Section I: Methodology ..............................................................................................................6
Qualitative Methods ......................................................................................................... 6
Quantitative Methods ....................................................................................................... 8
Section II: Causes of Statelessness, the US Legal Context, and Profiles of Potentially
Stateless US Residents or Those Potentially at Risk of Statelessness .................................. 9
The US Legal Context ........................................................................................................11
Profiles of Populations That Are Potentially Stateless or Potentially at
Risk of Statelessness in the United States ...................................................................... 14
Europe and Eurasia ............................................................................................. 15
The Middle East and North Africa ..................................................................... 19
Asia and the South Pacific .................................................................................... 23
Sub-Saharan Africa ............................................................................................. 30
The Americas ....................................................................................................... 36
Additional Considerations ................................................................................... 37
Section III: Estimates of Those Who are Potentially Stateless or Potentially At Risk
of Statelessness ....................................................................................................................... 41
Sources of Data and Tentative Estimates of US Stateless Populations .............................. 41
American Community Survey ............................................................................... 41
Limitations ........................................................................................................... 42
Provisional Estimates of Persons who are Potentially Stateless
or Potentially at Risk of Statelessness in the United States ................................ 43
Demographic and Labor Force Characteristics of Populations
That Are Potentially Stateless or Potentially at Risk of Statelessness ................ 53
Potentially Omitted Groups ................................................................................. 59
Refugee- and Immigration-Related Administrative Data on the Stateless ............ 60
Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System (WRAPS) .......................... 61
EOIR, USCIS and ICE ............................................................................................ 63
Section IV: Challenges Confronting US Stateless Persons ......................................... 68
Ties to the United States ................................................................................................. 69
Challenges Facing Stateless Persons without Lawful Status ............................................ 70
Insecurity .............................................................................................................. 70
Travel Restrictions .............................................................................................. 71
Employment Consequences ............................................................................... 71
Economic Hardships ........................................................................................... 71
ICE Order of Supervision Requirements ............................................................. 72
Effects on Personal and Work Relationships ........................................................ 72