WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the second-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and lead Senate sponsor of the Stateless Protection Act, released the following statement in response to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) guidance to assist stateless noncitizens in the United States.

“I applaud DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ur Jaddou’s announcement of new guidance on statelessness. In addition to providing clarity for the 200,000 or so stateless persons in the United States, today’s step will have real, tangible impacts. Most notably, it will allow USCIS to consider statelessness in discretionary decisions about immigration relief. Congress must still take action to provide a comprehensive, long-term solution for stateless persons. Our laws need to show our values as a nation of immigrants and should protect stateless people, providing them and their immediate families with the opportunity to become full citizens of the United States. I am working closely with my colleague Congressman Jamie Raskin to reintroduce our Stateless Protection Act, which would allow stateless persons in the United States to qualify for legal permanent residency and eventually citizenship. My thanks also to the advocates who have played a critical role in calling for today’s announcement. I was pleased to take part in a briefing last week discussing the need for both regulatory and legislative change.”

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