49,700 Indians became US citizens in FY2024

Indians (6.1%) were the second largest group to gain citizenship after Mexico (13.1%) as US welcomed 818,500 new citizens

By Arun Kumar

As many as 49,700 (6.1%) Indians became US citizens in fiscal year 2024 ended September 30, becoming the second largest group to be naturalized after Mexico with 107,700 (13.1%) as US welcomed 818,500 new citizens.

Among the top five countries of birth for people naturalizing in FY 2024, India was followed by the Philippines with 41,200 (5.0%), the Dominican Republic with 39,900 (4.9%), and Cuba with 33,700 (4.1%). The top five countries of birth comprised 33% of the naturalized citizens in FY 2024.

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Although 818,500 new citizens represented a 7% decrease from last year, the 3-year total is more than 2.6 million new citizens, USCIS stated releasing the naturalization statistics for the fiscal year.

“During the last decade, USCIS welcomed more than 7.9 million naturalized citizens into the fabric of our nation,” it said describing deciding to become a US citizen as an important milestone in an immigrant’s life.

USCIS’ Houston (3.3% of all naturalizations), Dallas (3.3%), Chicago (3.3%), Newark (3.2%), and San Francisco (2.9%) field offices naturalized the largest number of new citizens in FY 2024.

Of all citizens naturalized in FY 2024, 70% resided in 10 states (in descending order): California, Florida, New York, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Virginia, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Washington. More than 50% resided in the top four states.

The top five cities (including boroughs) where people who naturalized resided were (in descending order): Miami, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Houston, and Los Angeles.

More than 37% of citizens naturalized in FY 2024 were 30 to 44 years old. The median age of those naturalizing in FY 2024 was 42 years. About 17% were younger than 30 years old, and 23 new citizens were centenarians (age 100 and older)!

Women made up over 55% of those naturalized in FY 2024, and they were the majority in every age group.

Meanwhile, according to statistics released by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the US deported over 270,000 immigrants from 192 countries, including 1,529 from India, in FY2024, marking the highest level of deportations since 2014. About 18,000 more undocumented Indians are on deportation list.

ICE detained 2,647 Indians for deportation in FY2024, ranking fourth after Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. ICE has a list of 1.5 million individuals marked for deportation.

ICE data shows that the Biden administration has deported more immigrants than during Donald Trump’s first term.

During Trump’s presidency, 1,616 Indians were deported in FY2019, rising to 2,312 in FY2020, an increase of around 43%.

Under the Biden administration, the number dropped to 292 in FY2021 and 276 in FY2022. The slump might be due to the Covid pandemic and the resultant lockdown across the world. However, the number increased to 370 in FY2023, and soared to 1,529 in FY2024.

The unauthorised immigrant population in the US grew to 11 million in 2022, with Indian nationals accounting for 725,000, the third-largest group after Mexicans (4 million) and Salvadorans (750,000).

In 2022, a total of 109,535 individuals attempted illegal crossings from the US-Canada border, with Indians accounting for nearly 16% of the total, approximately 17,000.

In 2023, this number rose to 189,402, including 30,010 Indian nationals. This year, the figures increased further, with 43,764 Indians — about 22% of the total 198,929—attempting illegal entry.