No.
There is no evidence to suggest that immigrants are receiving expedited citizenship in swing states like Arizona. Assuming they haven’t served in the military or married a citizen, individuals typically must have held permanent resident status for at least five years to apply for U.S. citizenship. More than 90% of applicants fall into this category.
Arizona welcomed 35,000 new citizens through naturalization between 2021 and 2022, an uptick of a few thousand over prior years. The U.S. generally has seen a surge in the number of naturalized citizens since 2020, as officials address COVID-19 backlogs. Naturalizations decreased slightly in 2023, however. Data for 2024 is not yet available.
Statistically, just one in 10 people eligible for naturalization become citizens. Fewer than 200,000 lawful permanent residents eligible to naturalize live in Arizona, according to August 2024 data. California, Texas and Florida consistently see the most naturalized citizens.
This fact brief responds to conversations such as this one.
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
Sources
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Who Is Eligible for Naturalization?
- Arizona Secretary of State, Voter Registration Statistics July 2024
- Arizona Secretary of State, Voter Registration Statistics November 2020
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Naturalization Statistics
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Eligible to Naturalize Dashboard
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, State Immigration Statistics
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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is partnering with Gigafact to produce timely fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
