The New York Times published a letter to the editor submitted by Eric Cohen in response to a recent Times article about green card holders who lack the motivation to become a US citizen. Eric Cohen is executive director of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and leader of the New Americans Campaign, a project of the center.
His letter is below.
To the Editor:
Your article about the motivations of green card holders to become or not to become United States citizens doesn’t offer numbers on the economic dimension of naturalization. Several studies show that naturalization confers economic benefits both on the people who become citizens and on our communities and country as a whole.
For instance, a study published last December found that citizenship alone can boost individual earnings by 8 percent to 11 percent. Increased naturalization would lead to a significant growth in gross domestic product.
ERIC COHEN
San Francisco, Aug. 26, 2013
The writer is executive director of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and leader of the New Americans Campaign, a project of the center.