If we are making a reference to a court decision of some 50 years ago. we have to understand the historical context of that decision. The context of that decision was that people were concerned about whether what are now known as resident aliens should be counted. We decided. in our Immigration and Naturalization Act. that resident aliens. people with the green card. were here legally. that they should be enumerated. that it was in many respects only a question of time until they became legal citizens. At that time. 50 years ago. there was no known or significantly known illegal immigration. That has become a recognized fact only in the last decade or two. due to the opening of increased economic relations and opportunities in this country and in our neighboring countries. The result is that the question of illegal residents in the United States has never been determined in the courts because it was not a problem a long time ago.
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Naturalization Immigration illegal immigration green card