If you are or have been convicted of a crime and you are not acitizen, you can be deported. U.S. citizens can not be deported. To protect your children. If you become a citizen before your children turn 18, they are also citizens. They can not be deported as citizens.
Most crimes are now grounds for deportation.
As a legal permanent resident, you can only petition for unmarried children and spouses. Citizens may also petition for parents, married children, siblings, and fiances. Unmarried children and spouses of citizens wait much less time than permanent residents to receive visas. To be eligible for state and federal jobs. These actions satisfy the requirements for obtaining these public benefits.