Expert: Michael Troy - 7/27/2004

Question
im doing a research about alien's rights. which rights do they have? do they have any protection in the law? a statute which protect thier rights?

Answer
Hi there,

Aliens living in the US have pretty much the same Constitutional rights as everyone else.  The only significant exception to this is the right to vote.

As for government services, aliens are usually entitled to basic services if they reside in an area that all citizen residents get (e.g. emergency services, public schools and libraries, etc).  Aliens are generally protected by the same anti-discrimination laws as other groups.

The problem comes up usually with illegal aliens.  People who are in this country illegally do have the same basic rights, but if they try to assert those rights in court or by speaking with authorities, the government may become aware that they are in this country illegally and they could be deported.  For this reason, many illegal aliens do not try to assert their rights.

I hope this helps!
- Mike