Immigrants Naturalize at Higher Rate than Ever Before!
Posted Apr 06, 2007
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According to a report released by the Pew Hispanic Center on March 28, 2007, there are currently more immigrants choosing to file to become U.S. citizens than ever before. The study found that a record 12.8 million people in the U.S. population in 2005 were naturalized citizens. This number represents not only an increase in the number of legal immigrants in the U.S., but also the number of legal immigrants who specifically choose to obtain U.S. citizenship. Out of all legal immigrants living in the U.S., more than half (52 percent) have been naturalized to U.S. citizenship.
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Ethnic Backgrounds of those Filing for Naturalization
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The study revealed some other important new trends. For the first time in history, Europeans are not the largest group of immigrants who become naturalized U.S. citizens. This place has been taken by people who originally came from Latin America and Asia. There are also more people from Mexico who are now U.S. citizens, but their numbers are still comparatively lower than those for people from other parts of the world.
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Why Are More Filing to Become U.S. Citizens?
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While the report released by the Pew Hispanic Center does not purport to explain why the naturalization rate has increased or what its effect is going to be, many commentators have suggested that the immigration political debate may have been a factor. If people feel threatened that they may lose privileges they currently enjoy, they are more likely to pursue citizenship in order to have the rights afforded them through American citizenship. In addition, the proposed naturalization application fee increase and a more comprehensive U.S. history and English language test that will go into effect in the months to come, have both contributed to the recent increase in naturalizing citizens.
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Assimilation by those Filing to Become Naturalized Citizens
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As the immigration debate becomes increasingly pronounced in U.S. society and in political circles, there are large numbers of people who associate all immigrants with undocumented foreign nationals. Therefore, those often vocal immigration opponents wish to promote stricter immigration laws and regulations. In fact, as this newly released statistical data shows, a significant number of immigrants are not only legally present in the U.S., but have chosen naturalization and, therefore, have legal rights and privileges like those whose U.S. citizenship was acquired at birth. It also addresses the assimilation issue, as many feel that immigrants are not willing to integrate into U.S. society and, particularly, that they hold to their native language/s. Naturalization requires English language skills, in both reading and writing, with very limited exception. Thus, high rates of naturalization reflect a certain level of assimilation and English language proficiency.
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Political Implications of our New American Citizens
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People who have recently acquired the rights and benefits of U.S. citizenship, which includes the right to vote, are likely to affect the outcome of local, congressional, and presidential elections. This is an extremely important political implication, which is being recognized by politicians and pundits across the country.
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New Citizens Enjoy Privilege and Bear Responsibility of U.S. Citizenship
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Predating its birth as a nation, America has been - and continues to be - a country of immigrants. This new data illustrates that the U.S. population includes some 25 million legal immigrants, more than half of whom are U.S. citizens. Contrary to common misunderstanding, all immigrants are NOT illegal. In fact, the legal immigrant population is far greater than the estimates of people within the U.S. who are undocumented or, otherwise, not in valid immigration status. If enactment of comprehensive immigration reform is on the horizon, as is hoped by many U.S. employers, employees and families, there will be more avenues to obtaining legal status in the United States and, ultimately, to becoming naturalized U.S. citizens, for those who chose this privilege and responsibility. [For more information on the benefits of naturalization, see our February 8, 2002 MurthyBulletin article, Benefits of Becoming a U.S. Citizen, available on MurthyDotCom.