Immigration Status and Naturalization Across Generations:
The Consequences of Parental Unauthorized Migration or Naturalization on the Civic and
Political Behaviors of 1.5 and 2nd Generation Young Adults in Los Angeles
Louis DeSipio
Frank D. Bean
Rubén G. Rumbaut
University of California, Irvine
In this paper, we assess whether parental legal status at the time of initial migration and
parental naturalization affect political participation among the young adult 1.5 and 2
nd
generation
children of the immigrants. While a relatively simple question, the answer has significant policy
consequences for the future of the United States. Immigrants constitute an ever greater share of
the U.S. population. The children of the late-20
th
century migrant surge make up a second
generation who are now reaching adulthood and entering political maturity. If parental
unauthorized status proves to be a political scarlet letter for the children of immigrants, the
nation faces the risk of the emergence of a cross-generational political underclass, one that would
be concentrated in the Mexican and Central American origin populations (Bean, Van Hook, and
Woodrow-Lafield 2001; Passel 2005). If, on the other hand, naturalization proves to be a
political resource not just for immigrants, but also for their children, including U.S.-born
children, our findings would add to the incentives for community based organizations (and,
perhaps, for government) to promote naturalization in immigrant communities and to assist
immigrants with the bureaucratic complexities of the application process. In fact, a cross-
generational benefit in naturalization would add a justification for government involvement in
naturalization promotion (Bloemraad Forthcoming).
Our analysis is based on a recently completed telephone survey of 1.5 and 2
nd
generation
young adults (aged 20 to 40) in the five county Los Angeles region – the Immigration and
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Draft. Not for citation without the permission of the authors.
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