The importance of race, gender, and religion in naturalization adjudication in the United States

Emily Ryo and Reed Humphrey
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Emily Ryo: a USC Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089;
Reed Humphrey: b Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2022, vol. 119, issue 9, e2114430119

Abstract: This study examines group disparities in naturalization approvals by race/ethnicity, gender, and religion. We find that all else being equal, non-White applicants and Hispanic applicants are less likely to be approved than non-Hispanic White applicants, male applicants are less likely to be approved than female applicants, and applicants from Muslim-majority countries are less likely to be approved than applicants from other countries. In addition, we find that race/ethnicity, gender, and religion combine to produce a certain group hierarchy in terms of approval probabilities. For example, Blacks from Muslim-majority countries are much less likely to be approved than Whites from other countries. These findings underscore the continuing importance of race, gender, and religion in the making of US citizens.

Keywords: citizenship; naturalization; immigration law; agency decision-making; inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nas:journl:v:119:y:2022:p:e2114430119

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