Do Americans Really Understand Immigration Law?
The United States has been sculpted by immigration for hundreds of years, with immigration policy standing at the heart of today's most heated political debates.
Dive into this quiz to explore your understanding and challenge your perceptions about the U.S. immigration discussion, a topic that continues to shape the nation's future and identity.
1. Approximately what percentage of the U.S. population is made up of immigrants?
- A) 13 percent
- B) 6 percent
- C) 23 percent
- D) 37 percent
Answer:
A) 13 percent
2. True or False? Most of the families and children detained at the U.S. southern border are illegal immigrants.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer:
B) False
3. True or False? The majority of U.S. public school students categorized as English Language Learners (who have limited English language proficiency) are immigrants.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer:
B) False
4. In 2013, among the 35 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), what was the rank of the United States based on the percentage of people born in other countries living there?
- A) 1st
- B) 14th
- C) 9th
- D) 20th
Answer:
B) 14th
5. True or false? The U.S. takes in more legal immigrants for permanent residency than the total number accepted by all other countries combined.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer:
A) True
6. Of all the immigrants arriving in the United States in 2015, the largest number came from where?
- A) Mexico
- B) India
- C) China
- D) Phillippines
Answer:
B) India
7. If you marry a U.S. citizen, how many years must you legally live in the U.S. before you can become a citizen, instead of the usual 5 years?
- A) No reduction
- B) 2 years
- C) 3 years
- D) 4 years
Answer:
C) 3 years
8. Which of the following countries was not one of the top ten countries of origin for immigrants living in the United States in 2015?
- A) Dominican Republic
- B) Vietnam
- C) Cuba
- D) Russia
Answer:
D) Russia
9. The first citizenship law in the U.S. was the Naturalization Act of 1790. Under this law, who was allowed to become naturalized as a U.S. citizen??
- A) landowning men
- B) immigrants who had lived in the U.S. for at least 5 consecutive years
- C) "free white persons" of "good moral character" who had lived in the country for at least 5 years
- D) "free white persons" of "good moral character" who had lived in the country for at least 2 years
Answer:
D) "free white persons" of "good moral character" who had lived in the country for at least 2 years
10. True or false? A child born outside of the United States to a U.S. citizen automatically becomes a U.S. citizen.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer:
B) False
11. When passed in 1996, what crimes did the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act say could get someone deported?
- A) Shoplifting
- B) Offenses that could lead to 5 or more years in jail
- C) Offenses occurring before the passage of the law which were now deportable offenses
- D) All of the above
Answer:
D) All of the above
12. In 2023, immigrants made up roughly what percentage of the American workforce?
- A) 19%
- B) 13%
- C) 29%
- D) 8%
Answer:
A) 19%
13. As of 2023, approximately how many undocumented immigrants lived in the United States?
- A) 11.5 million
- B) 43.3 million
- C) 12.6 million
- D) 28.8 million
Answer:
C) 12.6 million
14. Approximately how many people were granted legal permanent residence in the United States in 2022?
- A) 285,000
- B) 1,183,505
- C) 723,000
- D) 550,000
Answer:
C) 723,000
15. Which of the following was included in executive orders signed by President Donald J. Trump in January 2017, just after his term began?
- A) A ban on the entry of citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen into the United States for ninety days
- B) A ban on the admission of refugees into the United States for 120 days
- C) An instruction to the Department of Homeland Security to build a physical wall “to obtain complete operational control” of the U.S. border with Mexico
- D) All of the above
Answer:
D) All of the above
