Immigration Article of the Day: Why don’t they naturalize? Voices from the Dominican community by Alan Hyde, Ray A Mateo and Bridgit Cusato-Rosa

Why don’t they naturalize? Voices from the Dominican communityby Alan Hyde, Ray A Mateo and Bridgit Cusato-Rosa

Abstract:  The United States has internationally low rates of naturalization of foreign-born residents, and Latinos are traditionally even lower naturalizers. Low naturalization leaves non-citizens vulnerable to political underrepresentation, restrictions on travel and employment, discrimination, and removal. Interviews with 34 Dominican-born residents of New York and New Jersey seek to illuminate reasons for not naturalizing. Important reasons include the expense and unfriendliness of the procedure and past bad experience with the immigration agencies. Respondents also, to a surprising degree, regarded even dual nationality as an assault on their Dominican identity.  Download Dominican naturalization

KJ