ABSTRACT
The expansion of alien rights has included aliens who entered US territory illegally or who remain unlawfully present. Human rights and international treaties have also extended the scope of protection for aliens by creating additional judicial forums within which they can pursue and justify their claims. The discussion about alien rights generally concerns the rights of long-term permanent residents to the protections of the US Constitution. Aliens may have other rights through statutory law, common law, human rights, and international treaties and may have moral or natural rights as human beings. Alien rights pertain to the residence, employment, and welfare interests of immigrants. This definition of alien rights excludes the right of asylum, the rights of temporary visitors, the right to citizenship, and ethnic minority rights. Aliens who have established ties, raised families, and exist in the social networks of society ought to be part of and share in the rights and responsibilities that bind citizens.
