Which current members of the House are naturalized citizens and where were they born?
Executive summary
A definitive roster of current House members who are naturalized U.S. citizens is published by the Office of the Clerk; that document lists every foreign‑born Representative and their places of birth [1]. Public analyses by the Library of Congress/CRS and Pew Research summarize that roughly two dozen House members were born outside the United States, with birthplaces ranging from Mexico and Cuba to India, Japan, South Korea and Ukraine [2] [3].
1. What the official record is and why it matters
The Office of the Clerk of the House maintains an authoritative list of foreign‑born members for the current Congress — the Clerk’s “Foreign‑Born in the United States House of Representatives” document provides the primary source for which Representatives were born abroad and thus gained U.S. citizenship through naturalization or other legal routes [1]. This matters because only members who meet the constitutional citizenship requirement (having been U.S. citizens for seven years) can serve in the House, and the Clerk’s roster is the canonical place to check birthplace and citizenship status for the 119th Congress [1] [2].
2. How many House members were born outside the United States
Congressional research and Pew Research Center reporting put the number of members of the 119th Congress who were born outside the United States at roughly two dozen Representatives — CRS reported “twenty‑six Representatives and six Senators” born abroad at the start of the 119th Congress [2]. Pew’s analysis of the 119th Congress counts at least 80 lawmakers who are foreign born or have at least one immigrant parent, and specifies that foreign‑born members’ birthplaces in the current Congress include countries such as Cuba, Germany, Guatemala, India, Japan, South Korea, Peru and Ukraine [3].
3. Notable naturalized Representatives and their birthplaces (examples cited in reporting)
Several individual House members who were born abroad are frequently cited in public reporting: Rep. Pramila Jayapal (born in India) and Rep. Shri Thanedar (born in India) are named among foreign‑born House members in Statista’s reporting on immigrant membership in Congress [4]. California Republicans Young Kim and Michelle Park Steel, both cited as born in South Korea, are regularly listed among foreign‑born Representatives [5]. Members born in Mexico who serve in the House and are cited by Statista include Rep. Juan Ciscomani, Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, Rep. Raul Ruiz, and Rep. Salud Carbajal [4]. Reporting also highlights Ukrainian‑born Rep. Victoria Spartz in earlier Congresses [5] and notes that Senator Mazie Hirono (the lone naturalized Senator cited in some pieces) was born in Japan — useful context for how many foreign‑born lawmakers appear across chambers [4] [5].
4. What the public reporting does and does not provide
Public reports give consistent summaries of numbers and origin countries but vary in scope and in whether they exclude persons born abroad to American parents who are U.S. citizens at birth; Pew and CRS explicitly note methodological choices and limitations in their tallies [3] [2]. Statista and VOA identify specific high‑profile names and origin countries but do not purport to be a comprehensive roster; the Clerk’s PDF is the singular primary source for a complete, current list [4] [5] [1].
5. How to obtain the complete, up‑to‑date list
For anyone seeking the full and current list of which House members were born abroad and where, the Office of the Clerk’s “Foreign‑Born in the UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES” document should be consulted — it is the official House record that names individual members and their birthplaces for the 119th Congress [1]. Complementary analysis and context about origins and counts appear in the Library of Congress/CRS profile of the 119th Congress and Pew Research Center’s breakdown of immigrants and children of immigrants in Congress [2] [3].