There are four categories of foreign-born. The first cat¬egory is legal immigrants, also known as lawful permanent residents. This group constitutes about 85% of the immigrant population. They are not citizens but are legally allowed to live and work in the United States, usually because they fulfill labor demands or have family ties. Since 1997 legal immigrants have needed to live in the United States for 10 years to be eligible for all entitlements, such as Aid to Families of Dependent Chil¬dren, food stamps, Medicaid, and unemployment insurance (National Immigration Forum, 2005). The second category of foreign-born consists of refugees and persons seeking asy¬lum. These are people who seek protection in the United States because of fear of persecution (on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political view, or membership in a certain group) if they were to return to their homeland.