Hispanics Drive Record Surge in U.S. Naturalizations

PHOENIX (By Susan Carroll, Houston Chronicle) April 8, 2009 — Nearly half of the record-setting 1 million new U.S. citizens sworn in last year were Hispanic immigrants — a 95 percent increase among that ethnic group from the previous year, according to an analysis by an Hispanic advocacy organization.

Department of Homeland Security data shows the number of immigrants naturalized in the U.S. grew from about 660,000 in 2007 to more than 1 million in 2008 — an increase of roughly 58 percent.

Nationally, Hispanic naturalizations jumped 95 percent from about 237,000 in 2007 to 461,000 in 2008, according to the analysis released Tuesday by the National Association of Hispanic Elected and Appointed Officials. NALEO used data from the DHS’ Office of Immigration Statistics, counting immigrants who hailed from predominantly Spanish-speaking countries as Hispanics.

Sociologists cited a number of factors for the naturalization increase, including the desire to vote in the historic 2008 presidential election and a rush to beat a naturalization fee increase in summer 2007. The increase in naturalization applications also coincided with a high-profile outreach campaign with the slogan, “It is time — Citizenship!” which was supported by organizations including NALEO, unions and many in the Spanish-language media.

Arturo Vargas, executive director of NALEO Educational Fund, attributed the increase to Hispanic immigrants’ desire “to make their voices heard in our nation’s democracy.”

The growth in Hispanic naturalizations will swell the ranks of the Hispanic electorate, which has been growing in recent years and is a coveted demographic for many politicians. The Hispanic vote was key to President Barack Obama’s victory in states including Colorado, Florida, Nevada and New Mexico.

Nestor Rodriguez, a sociology professor at the University of Texas, said the growth in naturalization applicants was expected based on the level of legal immigration to the U.S. in the 1990s. More than 9.7 million people were admitted as legal permanent residents during that decade, he said, roughly 80 percent of them from Latin America and Asia. Although it takes only five years for a green-card holder to be eligible for citizenship, many historically have waited to take the oath.

“This is like a boa constrictor that eats something, and it makes its way through the body,” Rodriguez said. “This is the bump that’s going down the body.”

Rodriguez added that some new citizens may have been spurred to action by the fee increase that took effect in July 2007 and raised the cost of a citizenship application from $330 to $595.

Immigration officials received a record 1.4 million naturalization applications in the 2007 fiscal year, though many were processed during 2008.

Tom Janoski, an associate professor of sociology from the University of Kentucky who has researched international naturalization trends, said some new citizens may have been driven to apply because of a fear of deportation in many immigrant communities.

“One factor that causes people to naturalize is they’re scared,” Janoski said.

Immigration officials conducted a series of high-profile work-site enforcement raids and targeted home raids in 2007 and 2008 that prompted protests.

Unlike citizens, legal permanent residents convicted of crimes can be stripped of their legal status and put into deportation proceedings.