Immigrants – at least the legal kind – are a great blessing to this country. They revitalize our nation from generation to generation, and enrich our nation in so many ways. The list of immigrants who have contributed so much to the United States is long and illustrious – it includes individuals like Albert Einstein, Andrew Carnegie, and Irving Berlin, just to name a few.

Over the course of more than two centuries, the countries of origin of immigrants have varied. Today it is individuals from Latin America who make up a large percentage of those becoming Americans.

Nearly half of the record-setting 1 million new U.S. citizens sworn in last year were Latino immigrants — a 95 percent increase among that ethnic group from the previous year, according to an analysis by an Hispanic advocacy organization.

Department of Homeland Security data shows the number of immigrants naturalized in the U.S. grew from about 660,000 in 2007 to more than 1 million in 2008 — an increase of roughly 58 percent. The Houston metropolitan area saw more than 28,000 naturalizations last year, an increase of roughly 54 percent from 2007.

Nationally, Latino naturalizations jumped 95 percent from about 237,000 in 2007 to 461,000 in 2008, according to the analysis released Tuesday by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. NALEO used data from the DHSÂ’ Office of Immigration Statistics, counting immigrants who hailed from predominantly Spanish-speaking countries as Latinos.

So let me reemphasize – I think this is great, and that it benefits our country in so many ways.

Now some of you may ask how I reconcile this view with my opposition to illegal immigration. Easy – it all boils down to welcoming those who follow the rules, not the race or ethnicity of the newcomers. After all, I work with many students who are themselves immigrants or the children of immigrants from Latin America. So let me again offer a loud “hurrah” that we are bring into our nation so many wonderful new citizens who walk the same trail as so many of our ancestors.

Posted by: Greg at 12:32 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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