U.S. immigration law is federal, which means it is followed throughout the country. Federal immigration law does not prohibit an undocumented immigrant from owning a business. The law makes being in the U.S. without permission unlawful, of course; and this act is punishable by deportation and various obstacles on return to the U.S. after deportation or other kind of departure. However, there have been cases where an undocumented person was caught in the U.S. and business ownership was actually viewed as a point in their favor when defending against deportation.
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