Full Citation
Title: Latin American immigrants and the naturalization process
Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis
Publication Year: 2003
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Abstract: This study highlights the crucial yet understudied process Latin American immigrants undergo when deciding to become U.S. citizens. Using data from the 1990 U.S. census and interviews with naturalized Latinos, I argue that the decision to naturalize is complex beyond a narrative of assimilation where immigrants increase their ties to the U.S. while reducing their connections to their home country. My analysis begins with an assessment of the assimilation paradigm using data from the 1990 Integrated Public Use Microdata series-U.S.A. (IPUMS) where I test for acculturation and structural assimilation among the Latin American foreign-born. Although results demonstrate support for an assimilation model among key variables such as the ability to speak English, long term residence, and home ownership, other variables such as strong ethnic composition at the workplace and speaking Spanish at home indicate other factors positively associated with naturalization. Data from 26 in-depth interviews with Mexican and Salvadoran naturalized citizens residing in Houston, Texas further illustrate how Latino immigrants maintain ethnic linkages along with their newly acquired citizenship status. While immigrants continue to send remittances, make telephone calls, and travel to their country of origin, they also preserve those ties through U.S. based outlets such as Spanish language television, newspapers, Internet sites, churches, and personal relationships with other Latin American immigrants. Ultimately, the results of both quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest naturalization is a decision to maintain a lifestyle deeply entrenched in an established ethnic space that cultivates relationships with both the local community and country of origin.
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Authors: Espitia, Marilyn
Institution: The University of Texas at Austin
Department: Sociology
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Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Publisher Location: Austin, TX
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Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Migration and Immigration, Race and Ethnicity
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