Amnesty for illegal immigrants does not mean many will pursue legal citizenship according to a fresh analysis.
Illegal immigration continues to be a growing and controversial subject as the United States Congress considers amnesty and immigration legislation in 2013.
Out of the estimated 11.1 million illegal immigrants currently living in the U.S. (2011 figures), 55% or over 6 million are Mexican.
The largest segment of legal permanent residents is Mexican.
New information from Pew Research Center now shows why almost two-thirds, or 3.9 million Mexican immigrants who are legal have not taken the effort to become U.S. citizens.
“Many could choose an intermediate status—legal permanent resident—that would remove the threat of deportation, enable them to work legally and require them to pay taxes, but not afford them the full rights of U.S. citizenship, including the right to vote,” says the report summary by Pew.
Only 40% of 2.7 million immigrants obtained a green card from the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, the last time the U.S. allowed amnesty, according to a 2010 study by Homeland Security.
Pew’s analysis indicates a major reason they do not seek citizenship has been “personal barriers.” Out of this group, 65% say they need to learn English.
Other reasons are the citizenship test (23% of that group indicated) is too difficult, and the cost of the naturalization application, currently $680, is too high.
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