To new citizens — welcome, and thanks

Naturalization ceremonies are inherently patriotic. People enter the courtroom, convention center or stadium as noncitizens and leave with a certificate of naturalization declaring them citizens of the United States of America. Many bring their entire families to share with them the honor of becoming American.

In the 2022 fiscal year, more than 970,000 green card holders became U.S. citizens, the highest number recorded since 2008. During a time when “immigrant” is often shorthand for “undocumented migrant,” it is important to remember and celebrate the people who have gone through the lengthy process legally.

The citizenship process is invasive and expensive, with more than $700 in fees, not to mention the cost, usually in the thousands, of hiring a lawyer to navigate the complex U.S. immigration system.

But the naturalized citizen voting block is growing. Pew estimates that 38 percent of eligible residents became citizens in 1995; that number doubled to twothirds in 2019. For many residents, anti-immigrant rhetoric, as well as the uncertainty of immigration policy, motivated them to secure U.S. citizenship.

There are 9 million legal residents in the U.S. who are eligible to become citizens, but most simply aren’t applying. Some cite deterrents such as the number of applications lingering in bureaucratic limbo; at least 670,000 applications remain pending, according to recent State Department numbers.

Most immigrants want to work legally; they want to raise their families here and contribute to the civic life of the United States. To everyone who went through the process, and for everyone about to go through it, we offer a grateful “welcome.”