Which members of the 118th Congress are naturalized U.S. citizens and when were they naturalized?
Executive summary
Pew counted 18 members of the 118th Congress who were born abroad and became U.S. citizens through naturalization, a figure that represents the foreign‑born portion of that Congress (Pew’s tally of the 118th Congress is cited by VOA and Pew) [1] [2]. Available sources do not provide a complete, named list in one place nor the specific naturalization dates for each naturalized member of the 118th Congress (not found in current reporting), so definitive dates of naturalization are not available in the provided material [2] [1].
1. The headline figure: 18 naturalized members, according to Pew and VOA
Pew Research Center’s analysis — summarized in reporting by Voice of America — counted 18 members of the 118th Congress who were born outside the United States and later naturalized as U.S. citizens; that is the most-cited, authoritative aggregate number in the sources provided [1] [2]. Pew’s count excludes people born abroad to U.S. citizen parents, members born in U.S. territories, and members whose foreign‑birth produced citizenship by derivation rather than by formal naturalization, which narrows the pool to those who completed the N‑400 process themselves [2].
2. Why a precise, sourced roster and dates are missing
The documents and articles in the search results provide context about immigrant representation in Congress and naturalization policy but do not publish a consolidated roster of the 18 naturalized members or list each member’s naturalization date; therefore, specific names and exact naturalization dates are not found in the available reporting (not found in current reporting) [2] [1]. The Clerk of the House has foreign‑birth summaries for later Congresses but the provided Clerk PDF is for the 119th Congress and lists places of birth without naturalization dates; it does not resolve the 118th Congress naturalization dates in our sources [3].
3. What the sources do provide about who is foreign‑born in Congress
Separate sources and charts name several prominent foreign‑born members frequently associated with the 118th Congress: Mazie Hirono is the lone naturalized senator noted in one chart, and Representatives such as Juan Ciscomani, Jesús “Chuy” García, Raul Ruiz and Salud Carbajal are cited as foreign‑born members of the House [4] [1]. Pew’s broader analysis emphasizes that immigrants and children of immigrants comprised at least 15% of the 118th Congress and notes eligibility rules — seven years’ citizenship for House members and nine years for senators — that limit which naturalized immigrants could legally serve [2].
4. Context on naturalization timelines and legal constraints
Congressional and CRS material explains general naturalization eligibility: a lawful permanent resident typically becomes eligible after five years’ continuous residence (three years in some marriage cases), an adult must be 18 to naturalize, and federal officeholders must meet the Constitution’s citizenship-duration requirements [5] [6]. Those legal minimums imply that any naturalized member of the 118th Congress would have had to complete naturalization at least seven (House) or nine (Senate) years before taking office, but the provided sources do not link those eligibility rules to individual members’ naturalization dates [5] [2].
5. Why this question matters politically and how sources frame it
Coverage frames naturalized members both as part of a growing immigrant presence in Congress and inside debates over citizenship policy: CRS and news coverage document policy shifts and proposals in the 118th Congress concerning naturalization, and later reporting (2024–2025) shows heightened attention to naturalization processing and denaturalization in national politics [5] [7] [8]. Critics and advocates disagree about funding for citizenship preparation, timelines and enforcement — a political context that can make queries about who was naturalized and when politically salient even when those dates are not publicly compiled in the sources provided [5] [7] [8].
6. How to get the names and dates that sources here omit
The sources indicate that a verified list and naturalization dates are not in the materials provided; to produce a definitive roster and dates you would need primary records: individual members’ official biographies, public naturalization records, Clerk of the House member files for the 118th Congress, or direct confirmation from members’ offices. Those primary-document or member‑level sources are not present in the current search results (not found in current reporting) [3] [2].
Limitations: This piece relies only on the supplied search results. The Pew/VOA aggregate (18 naturalized members) is well documented in those results, but individual names and naturalization dates for the 118th Congress are not provided in these sources; obtaining those requires member bios or official records beyond the material here [1] [2].