Twilight Statuses: A Closer Examination of the Unauthorized Population

This policy brief examines the “twilight status” of two particular categories of U.S. unauthorized immigrants: those with legally recognized claims to eventual lawful permanent resident (LPR) status and those with legally recognized temporary statuses, most often recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

The unauthorized population of 8–11 million is commonly treated as a monolith, but an estimated 1 million to 1.5 million unauthorized immigrants hold current or incipient legal claims recognized under U.S. law, creating a legally distinct "twilight" status. Two key subgroups drive this: those caught in processing or quota backlogs for lawful permanent residence, and those with TPS due to crisis in their home countries.

This "partial but not full" recognition sends mixed signals that simultaneously undermine enforcement goals and complicate the delivery of services and benefits, the brief notes.