; and (B) face barriers in opening bank accounts, pursuing higher education, accessing justice, and obtaining health care. (10) If detained for removal from the United States, a stateless person is often subjected to prolonged detention and, in some instances, cannot be removed because no country recognizes the person as its national. (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that to resolve statelessness and its related human suffering, lost potential, and societal impacts, the United States should— (1) provide a legal status to protect stateless persons; and (2) urge the international community to take strong action to prevent statelessness globally. 3. Protection of stateless persons in the United States (a) In general Chapter 5 of title II of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1255 et seq. ) is amended by inserting after section 245A the following: 245B. Protection of stateless persons in the United States (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Competent authority With respect to a foreign state, the term competent authority — (A) means the authority responsible for— (i) conferring nationality on, or withdrawing nationality from, individuals; or (ii) in the case of nationality having been acquired or withdrawn automatically, clarifying the nationality status of an individual; and (B) includes a Federal, local, or regional government entity, a consular official, and a government official at any level, notwithstanding any process by which a decision by such an entity or official may later be overridden. (2) Noncitizen The term noncitizen has the meaning given the term alien in section 101(a). (3) Operation of law; operation of its law The terms operation of law and operation of its law — (A) refer to the consideration by a competent authority of a state with respect to whether an individual is a national of that state, including under the legislation, ministerial decrees, regulations, orders, judicial case law, and customary practices of the competent authority