BREAKING THE BARRIERS: The Promise of Citizenship for Los Angeles County

Naturalization brings economic and civic benefits, and Los Angeles County is in a unique position to realize those gains with nearly one-tenth of the nation’s eligible-to-naturalize adults.

The University of Southern California Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII) report Breaking the Barriers: The Promise of Citizenship for Los Angeles County discusses the “who”, the “why”, and the “what” of naturalization: a profile of the eligible-to-naturalize population, suggested reasons why they should be supported in naturalizing, and individual and structural obstacles to naturalization. The report also discusses the “where” by providing tract-level maps of where the eligible-to-naturalize reside in the county seeking to highlight those areas with the greatest need for naturalization and to improve outreach to particular sub-groups. The report concludes by focusing on the “when”: the authors claim that now is the time for California and Los Angeles County to demonstrate the benefits of welcoming immigrants. The authors recommend developing local partnerships to encourage naturalization in order to achieve broader economic prosperity and stronger civic infrastructure. (Crystal Ye for The Immigrant Learning Center Public Education Institute)

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