Last week, the column featured Indiana AID’s Robin Valenzuela and Whitney Guthrie speaking about detention centers. This week, the column addresses common questions people ask related to immigration.
What's the difference between a refugee, an asylum seeker, an immigrant, and someone with Temporary Protected Status?
Refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers, and people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) have all come to the United States from abroad, but they fall into different legal categories that carry very different rights and vulnerabilities. Since early 2025, their paths to lawful status have all become more fragile and uncertain, even when they entered or remained in the U.S. through legal channels.
A refugee is someone who has gone through an asylum process and been granted protection, usually because they cannot safely return home due to persecution or violence. “Refugee" is used for people who have completed that process, while an "asylum seeker" is at the beginning of it.
An asylum seeker has asked for protection but is still waiting for a decision, often after entering the U.S. in danger or fear; they are in a legally recognized process but remain very vulnerable, especially without an attorney.
An immigrant is any foreign-born person who has come to live in the U.S., which can include people on work or student visas, family-based visas, or "economic migrants" who come seeking work but are not necessarily fleeing persecution.
People with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are from countries the U.S. has deemed too dangerous to return to. For instance, after the 2010 earthquake, Haitians were granted TPS. When Venezuela's economy collapsed under the leadership of Hugo Chavez and Nicolás Maduro, some Venezuelans were allowed to stay and work for 6-18 months, though they are eligible to have their TPS renewed.
Which immigrants are legal now? Which aren't?
First, 73.6% of immigrants are here legally. 46% of immigrants are naturalized citizens. The rest came with temporary protected status (TPS), student visas, work visas, or had refugee or asylum claim.
But, since January 2025, legal residency has become more complicated. The previous administration extended legal protections to 1.7 million people by 2024, but for the last year, protections have been narrowed or withdrawn. Many individuals who once entered legally—on visas, with TPS, or with pending asylum claims—have seen their status revoked. Though they've followed the legal process, they've been arrested or detained. Because people have been stripped of their legal status and given limited access to bond, so that more people are kept in detention, and fewer can live in the community while their cases proceed.
Aren’t undocumented immigrants committing a crime?
At the base, being in the country without documentation or overstaying a visa is a civil matter – not a criminal one. Valenzuela and Guthrie note it is “legally more like a ‘parking violation’ than a crime.” Legal firm Barlow and Goff writes that “U.S. law does not criminalize mere immigration status. In other words: Being present in the U.S. without authorization (unlawful presence) is a civil issue. Engaging in specific acts, such as unlawful entry or fraud, may result in criminal prosecution.”
Immigrants face criminal charges when they cross the border and don’t seek asylum. This type of entry is a misdemeanor on first offense. After removal, returning is a felony as is using false documents to get a job. However, neither of these felonies are violent crimes. Human smuggling is.
Another surprising fact: immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, have a significntly lower crime rate than native-born citizens. Most ICE detainees have no criminal conviction at all.
In the speakers' account, migrants sustain the U.S. economy and core social programs, even as many are blocked from the benefits they help finance and are subjected to an expanding detention system built on their vulnerability.
Are immigrants’ rights supporters against the rule of law?
Practicing hospitality and upholding the laws are not mutually exclusive, say Valenzuela and Guthrie.
Communities can uphold the rule of law by supporting due process: connect people to legitimate immigration attorneys, help them get to court and make sure jails honor basic obligations (i.e., sending detainees' documents to immigration court rather than quietly blocking their cases). Additionally, they can engage in lawful advocacy: contact legislators, show up at hearings, join coalitions like Communities Not Cages, and oppose contracts or expansions that deepen profit-driven detention while still recognizing the government's legitimate role in managing borders.
How many immigrants are in Indiana and the nation? What is their impact?
Indiana's foreign-born population is substantial, diverse, and contributes significantly to the economy. Indiana has more than 425,500 immigrants, who pay more than $4.1 billion in taxes. $1.5 billion of those dollars support Indiana’s state budget. They boost Indiana’s economy by $12.3 billion. Most are of working age (82%) and work in construction, transportation, wholesale trade, and manufacturing.
There over 93,000 foreign born students who contribute over $990 million to Indiana.
It may surprise many that immigrants often have high educational levels. 17% of foreign-born residents in Central Indiana hold graduate degrees, in comparison with about 11% of native-born Hoosiers.
Nationally, immigrant households paid about $651.9 billion in total taxes in 2023. 1.7% of the U.S. population is undocumented and pays $89.9 billion in taxes. Immigrant taxes have reduced the national deficit by $14.5 trillion, or about a third of the deficit for the past three decades. Nearly one in every six tax dollars collected by federal, state, and local governments comes from an immigrant household, helping fund schools, food assistance and health coverage for low-income families.
Immigrants also keep major social insurance programs afloat. In 2022, they contributed roughly $215.8 billion to Social Security and $58.7 billion to Medicare.
Can immigrants access social safety net dollars?
People without legal status generally cannot draw on the very programs they fund through their taxes. Undocumented workers typically cannot receive Social Security retirement benefits or regular Medicare coverage, even if they have paid payroll taxes for years. Their access to Medicaid and other safety-net programs is sharply restricted; at most, they may qualify for emergency Medicaid in a crisis, not ongoing coverage.
When it comes to food assistance (SNAP), only asylees and refugees can apply for SNAP. Others have to wait five years or will not be granted access to SNAP unless they are children, disabled, or elderly. This includes TPS residents and legal permanent residents.
In short, while contributing to the economy, they must also fund other sources of support in crises and emergencies beyond the safety net available to citizens.