“American-in-waiting” is a term for a person who is in the United States and is waiting to be an American citizen or waiting for a work/study permit; similar names include “undocumented immigrant/worker” and “illegal alien.” The book Americans in Waiting: The Lost Story of Immigration and Citizenship in the United States by Hiroshi Motomura was published by Oxford University Press in 2006. Newspaper columnist Paul Greenberg used the term “Americans-in-waiting” in an immigration column in April 2006.
 
“Taking Action to Unlock the Economic Contributions of Americans-in-Waiting” by Shaun Donovan (Director of the Office of Management and Budget) and Jeffrey Zients (Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy) was published on February 24, 2015. Many conservative commentators immediately criticized the “Americans-in-waiting” term.
 
   
OCLC WOrldCat record
Americans in waiting : the lost story of immigration and citizenship in the United States
Author: Hiroshi Motomura
Publisher: Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2006.
Edition/Format:   eBook : Document : English
   
Google News Archive
19 April 2006, The Item (Sumter, SC), “Immigration debate a Mexican standoff” by Paul Greenberg, pg. 6A, col. 4:
Especially when the presence of these millions of Americans-in-waiting among us represents less a problem to be solved than an opportunity to be seized.
 
Twitter
Poligags
‏@poligags
“Americans in Waiting” - now THAT’s a good term for non-citizen residents of the US! RT @amprog: Take a minute to… http://fb.me/1Fc3atqs0
10:06 AM - 4 Apr 2013
 
Twitter
Anil Kalhan
‏@kalhan
(1) what does it really mean to be unlawfully present? (2) what role for states/cities (3) are unauthorized migrants “Americans in waiting”?
6:14 PM - 10 Nov 2014
 
The White House—Council of Economic Advisers
Taking Action to Unlock the Economic Contributions of Americans-in-Waiting
Posted by Shaun Donovan, Jeff Zients on February 24, 2015 at 02:23 PM EST
The President is continuing to take action, within his legal authority, to fix our broken immigration system.  Today, the Administration announced a final rule that will allow spouses of certain high-skilled workers to contribute to the economy while they wait to obtain lawful permanent residence status (or a “green card”) through their employer. America needs a 21st century immigration system that lives up to our heritage as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants—and that grows our economy. This change, as well as the other actions announced by the President this past November, will do just that.
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Shaun Donovan is Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Jeffrey Zients is Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy.
     
Washington (DC) Times
White House calls illegal immigrants ‘Americans-in-waiting’
By Jessica Chasmar - The Washington Times - Wednesday, February 25, 2015
The White House is now using the term “Americans-in-waiting” to describe the thousands of illegal immigrants waiting for green cards “as a result of our broken immigration system.”
 
The White House used the new phrase Tuesday in an update on President Obama’s executive amnesty actions, titled “Taking Action to Unlock the Economic Contributions of Americans-in-Waiting,” Weasel Zippers first reported.
 
The update announces a “final rule” that will allow the spouses of certain high-skilled workers to “contribute to the economy while they wait to obtain lawful permanent residence status.”
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COMMENTS
Anscotman
Wouldn’t it be more honest to call them Democrat Voters in Waiting?....since that’s clearly the Dems intentions.
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Vostra Guida
“Americans-in-waiting”???!! If they knew how to wait they wouldn’t be “illegal” aliens, they would be in line WAITING, like the non-criminal immigrants who wish to become American citizens.
 
Ben Shapiro’s Truth Revolt
White House Calls Immigrants ‘Americans-In-Waiting’
“Taking Action to Unlock the Economic Contributions of Americans-in-Waiting”
2.25.2015 Bradford Thomas
The Obama administration has tested out a new term for immigrants living in America without legal working status: “Americans-in-waiting.”
 
The administration employed the new euphemism in an update on the president’s executive amnesty actions posted by the White House Tuesday titled “Taking Action to Unlock the Economic Contributions of Americans-in-Waiting.” In the announcement, the White House defends the president’s actions on immigration as being “within his legal authority” and explains that their goal is to “lock in” the economic benefits of those immigrants qualifying for the program.
 
Twitter
Dana Loesch
‏@DLoesch
WTH with “Americans in waiting?” It suggests that people have started the process to become legal citizens. Not the case.
12:23 PM - 25 Feb 2015
 
Conservative News and Humor
WHITE HOUSE USES THE PHRASE ‘AMERICANS-IN-WAITING’ TO DESCRIBE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BUT NOT UNBORN CHILDREN
OPEN BORDERS FEBRUARY 25, 2015
 
RushLimbaugh.com
Unregistered Democrats-in-Waiting
February 26, 2015
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RUSH:  Ladies and gentlemen, it’s not Americans-in-waiting.  It’s unregistered Democrats-in-waiting.  If we’re gonna call these people what they really are, they are unregistered Democrats-in-waiting, or undocumented Democrats-in-waiting.  This business that they’re Americans-in-waiting?