This week is both Constitution Week and Citizenship Week, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is marking the occasion by naturalizing more than 17,000 immigrants. USCIS made a concerted effort to reduce the backlog of naturalization applications in recent years, ensuring that our immigrant neighbors who are ready to become Americans can do so without unnecessarily long wait times.
Why this matters: The George W. Bush Institute believes it’s in the best interest of the United States, local communities, and the private sector to promote naturalization and support immigrants on their journey to citizenship. We should celebrate every time someone chooses to become part of the fabric of our country. Immigrants are our neighbors, our friends, and our colleagues. They grow our economy, enrich our culture, and strengthen our communities.
The big picture: We should never forget those who may want to naturalize but who have no pathway to do so. For example, Dreamers and other undocumented immigrants live, work, and worship with us. But our immigration system doesn’t allow them to become full participants in our society. A reasonable solution for these immigrants – including an earned path to citizenship – should not be forgotten in conversations about the U.S. immigration system.
