Tell Congress to Protect the Stateless

Click here to write to your members of Congress in support of the Stateless Protection Act of 2024.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops released an action alert in support of the "Stateless Protection Act of 2024," which would address statelessness in federal law for the first time in U.S. history.

The United Nations estimates that there are millions of people across the globe who do not have a nationality and are therefore stateless. Consequences of statelessness can include a loss of legal protection, limited or no access to health care, education, registration of birth, infringements on the rights to marry and own property, inability to travel, and an increased vulnerability to human trafficking.

The bill, introduced by Representative Raskin and Senator Cardin in March of 2024 would:

• Adopt the international law definition of “stateless person,” providing a definition of statelessness for the first time is U.S. law;
• Afford protection to stateless persons present in the United States through a new form of relief and path to permanent residency known as Stateless Protected Status;
• Promote education and research on statelessness through partnerships with universities, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations; and
• Encourage engagement with other countries to establish stateless status determination and protection legislation.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration and Committee on International Justice and Peace formally endorsed the bill in July, stating, “motivated by our belief that each person is endowed by God with an inherent dignity that confers certain ‘universal, inviolable, and inalienable’ rights, the USCCB is deeply concerned for those who have been deprived of the most basic of political rights—their national identity.” Their comments echo those of the Holy Father in his 2018 message on the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.