California gets 150,000 new citizens

In California, 154,900 new citizens were naturalized in fiscal year 2023, bringing the state’s total number of naturalized citizens over the past three years to more than 500,000.

A total of approximately 878,500 individuals became citizens in the past fiscal year, with naturalization ceremonies in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 accounting for 24 percent of all naturalizations over the past decade, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data.

They could all vote for president for the first time in November – experts have said Newsweek what these numbers mean for the state and the nation at large.

California was the only state to surpass six figures in terms of new naturalized citizens, surpassing Texas (99,900), Florida (94,100), New York (92,800) and New Jersey (39,000).

The top ten cities or boroughs that experienced the largest increases in naturalized citizens were Brooklyn (19,400), Miami (15,800), Houston (15,700), the Bronx (13,000) and Los Angeles (9,300).

Individuals from Mexico became the fastest to become citizens, accounting for 111,500 people. India came in second with 59,100 people, followed by the Philippines (44,800), the Dominican Republic (35,200) and Cuba (33,200).

Stephen Goggin, an assistant professor of political science at San Diego State University, told us Newsweek by phone that immigration in the state draws less attention than in other states because residents are familiar with the southern border and because the issue of people settling in California is “always salient.”

Democrats and Republicans are taking their partisan cues on the issue, he added, and even liberals who may disagree with President Joe Biden on his administration’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border may hesitate to criticize to prevent GOP talking points from bubbling up again.

“Part of the reason is that many parts of the nation have only experienced major increases in immigration in recent years, while in California it has been the case for much of the state’s history — and much of politics, where it has been a problem since the 1990s,” said University of California San Diego political science professor Thad Kousser. Newsweek by phone.

The cost of living remains the biggest problem for many Californians because of their familiarity with immigration-related issues, he added, which plays a role in driving the marginal increase in domestic migration. Issues such as housing also play a role.

“Each party emphasizes immigration policy,” Kousser said. “They just move in erratically different directions. We live in these two different worlds in politics and policy in California, on opposite sides of the political divide. One party sees a crisis at the border.’

The migration flows in California

The 154,900 new Californians represent a smaller number of naturalized citizens compared to previous years. In fiscal years 2021 and 2022, the state welcomed 172,000 and 182,000 individuals, respectively, bringing the three-year total to 508,900.

According to data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a total of 726,000 naturalized citizens—about 75 percent of the nation’s total—lived in ten states in 2022. California’s naturalization rate that year represented about 19 percent of the U.S. total.

According to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), as of January 2024, the state is home to 10.4 million legal immigrants, representing approximately 23 percent of the national foreign-born population.

The California Budget and Policy Center has estimated that number even higher, at more than 11 million immigrants by 2023, accounting for 28 percent of the state’s population.

According to the center, a total of 6.1 million immigrants were employed in California between 2021 and 2023, which amounts to about one in three workers across the state.

The most recent 2022 PPIC data shows that 27 percent of the state’s population is foreign-born – the highest of any state and more than double the rate of the rest of the states (12 percent) – and that 46 percent of children in California were born abroad. at least one immigrant parent.

The Golden State continues to see population growth while trying to thwart rising levels of illegal immigration.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced that California would receive $45 million, which would be allocated to migrant-related programs statewide, as part of an 18 percent federal cut ($780 million to $300 million this year) in funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. , according to the Los Angeles Times.

San Diego, which has experienced a higher-than-normal number of illegal entries, received an additional $10 million. Local officials say the city remains an “epicenter” for illegal activity.

“The recent allocation of $19 million in federal dollars will not solve the crisis because the money will not be used to protect the border, but only for more concierge services to get migrants to their destinations in the United States,” San said Diego Supervisor Jim. Desmond said in a statement to Newsweek. “We have laws in place, but currently the federal government is not enforcing them.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom has dismissed the idea that “sanctuary city” status is responsible for the rising numbers.

“Let’s be clear: President Biden is doing everything he can to fund border security and humanitarian efforts, while Republicans in Congress are choosing border chaos for political gain,” Newsom said in a statement.