Putting Americans First: A Statistical Case for Encouraging Rather than Impeding and Devaluing US Citizenship

The Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS) released a report in December 2019 that states, among other conclusions, that the well-being of immigrants and their contributions to the United States increase as they advance to more permanent and secure immigration statuses, culminating in naturalization. It shows that naturalized citizens match or exceed the native-born by key metrics, including: college degrees (35% vs. 29%); percent employed (96% vs. 95%); and average personal income ($45,600 vs. $40,600).