Naturalization is viewed by many as the end point of an immigrant’s journey—the finish line—and for good reason. The path to naturalization can take many years and requires immigrants to navigate a complicated, costly process and overcome multiple hurdles. But becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen brings significant benefits to individuals and families by eliminating the risk of deportation, improving economic opportunities, and supporting civic engagement in their communities.
Houston’s historic naturalization ceremony
On July 10, over 2,000 immigrants took the important step of naturalization at Houston’s NRG Arena. Despite the ongoing heatwave and widespread power loss outages due to Hurricane Beryl, Texans made a special effort to move forward with the naturalization ceremony, where 2,286 immigrants from 121 countries—including several members of the armed forces—swore their oath of allegiance to the United States before a Federal Judge and became new U.S. citizens.
The American Immigration Council’s Texas State Organizer Chelsie Kramer and Houston Organizer Michael Treviño attended the event to celebrate the remarkable achievement of thousands of immigrants in Houston.
“This historic event is the latest example of how Houston recognizes the incredible benefits that immigrants bring to the city,” Kramer said.
Kramer and Treviño with guests Stephen Reynolds, Director of Public Policy, Greater Houston Partnership; Steve Stephens, CEO, Amegy Bank and Chair of the Greater Houston Partnership Immigration Advisory Committee; Eduardo Aguirre, Retired U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, Former Director of USCIS, and Director Emeritus, Greater Houston Partnership; and John Hernandez, Senior Vice President, Amegy Bank.
New Americans in Houston
Houston is poised to become the “Citizenship Capital” of the United States. Out of 1.7 million immigrants—24% of Houston’s population—more than 700,000 immigrants were naturalized citizens as of 2021. That number has room to grow, with nearly 250,000 immigrants in Houston likely eligible to naturalize.
When individuals become naturalized citizens, everyone benefits. According to our New Americans in Houston report, in 2021, immigrant households in Houston earned $66.5 billion in income, with $16.3 billion going to federal, state, and local taxes, leaving them with $50.2 billion in spending power that can be reinvested in local communities.
When eligible immigrants naturalize, they see, on average, an 8.9% increase in their individual earnings, providing them with increased resources and spending power to support local economies.
New Americans in Texas
According to our Map the Impact data, 17.2% of Texas’ population was made up of immigrants, with nearly 43% being naturalized U.S. citizens in 2022. The 2,286 individuals who were naturalized on July 10 are a small portion of the 789,500 Texans who were likely eligible to naturalize in 2022.
Individuals who haven’t naturalized yet but are eligible to deserve reinforced support to help them cross the finish line. If nearly 2,300 Houstonians can brave the elements to swear an oath to our nation, then we can follow their example and push forward efforts to support naturalization throughout the country.
Credit for main image: Harris County Precinct 2 / Alonzo Guadarrama
FILED UNDER: citizenship, naturalization, Texas
