How Does an Immigrant Become an "American"? Exclusion and Assimilation in U.S. Naturalization Law

• Published in: UCLA law review Vol. 72; no. 1; p. 298
• Main Author: Zhu, Katrina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law 01.05.2025
• Subjects: American history; Assimilation; Borders; Citizenship; Immigrants; Immigration policy; Law; Social exclusion; United States > US
• ISSN: 0041-5650; 1943-1724

Ugly fears of unassimilated immigrants have persisted throughout American history, influencing immigration law for centuries. From Chinese exclusion in the late 1800s, to President Trump's Muslim ban in 2017, to his continued emphasis on securing our borders today, American history is rich with examples of exclusionary immigration policies. Though many of these laws impose obstacles to entering the country, exclusionary and assimilationist motivations do not just impact immigrants at the border. Rather, these fears continue to influence laws that affect even those immigrants who have lived in the United States for years. This Comment specifically focuses on how exclusionary and assimilationist sentiments materialize at what may be seen as the last step of the American immigration timeline-citizenship acquisition. This Comment first scrutinizes U.S. naturalization law, connecting the legal obstacles to citizenship to centuries of anti-immigrant exclusionary and assimilationist attitudes. In doing so, it suggests that naturalization law idealizes a certain American identity. It then explores the real-world impact of those obstacles on immigrant communities. In analyzing the impact of such obstacles, this Comment argues that barriers to naturalization do not even achieve the exclusionary and assimilationist goals which they are meant to serve. Finally, this Comment proposes a more inclusive path to citizenship-one that can shed assimilationist influence while promoting a more integrated and cohesive American society.