State of the World from NPR What is Life Like When You Don’t Have Citizenship Anywhere?
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Sep 23, 2025 Explore the plight of over 218,000 stateless individuals in the U.S., who face dire challenges like opening bank accounts and traveling. Hear personal stories of individuals like Karina, who struggles with mundane tasks, and Mbartoumi, born in Soviet Ukraine, grappling with a lack of identity. Legal vulnerabilities leave many exposed, and community initiatives like United Stateless aim to provide crucial support. Delve into the fears of deportation to unknown countries and the constant anxiety that shadows daily life for the stateless.
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Scale And Daily Impact Of Statelessness
- More than 218,000 people in the U.S. are stateless, lacking citizenship in any country.
- Statelessness makes routine tasks like banking and travel extremely difficult.
Owning A Home Despite Statelessness
- Karina Arbutzumi shows a music collection in a New Jersey living room, proud of a house she and her husband bought despite status barriers.
- Her statelessness made obtaining ID and banking difficult, but she still managed to buy a home.
A Soviet Birth Certificate And No Citizenship
- Mbartoumin Klaou was born in Soviet Ukraine and never registered as a citizen after independence.
- At 37 she is a lawful permanent resident in the U.S. but remains stateless and identity-limited.