The Terminal Homelessness

The movie The Terminal is a fictional story about a man named Viktor Navorski who travels to the U.S. from his native, fictional nation of Krakozhia. Upon arrival at JFK International Airport in New York City, Navorski discovers that his Krakozhian passport and visa are no longer valid due to the outbreak of a civil war in his home nation while he is on the plane. As a result, the U.S. no longer recognizes Krakozhia as a sovereign nation, and he is not permitted to neither enter the country nor return home as he is now legally stateless. Navorski’s poor English-speaking ability renders him unable to properly communicate with U.S. Customs officials, leading to the seizure of both his passport and plane ticket. Without a home nation, Navorski is forced to live in an airport
In this situation, an individual may be considered de jure stateless, de facto stateless, or both. A de jure stateless person is someone who is "not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law,” whereas a de facto stateless person is someone who is outside the country of his/her nationality and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that nation. Furthermore, de facto statelessness can be a result of persecution, or a consequence of lack of diplomatic relations between the state of nationality and the state of residence. As expected, stateless individuals often have no home and are placed in refugee and detainment camps, as seen particularly in several Middle Eastern and African nations. Refugees are considered de jure stateless, however not all de jure stateless individuals are considered refugees. Additionally, many stateless individuals are given this status due to the fact that their birth was never registered with the state – an occurrence that happens in almost every nation in the world to some