As Arizona approaches the midterms, newly naturalized citizens face a complex mix of civic duty and anxiety. Despite joining an estimated 25 million naturalized voters nationwide, many immigrants navigating the process for the first time confront language barriers, intricate mail-in ballot rules, and a backdrop of national rhetoric regarding voting integrity.
Gabriela Torres Luna sits at her dining room table on the south side of Tucson, staring at a thick, light green envelope from Pima County. Inside is a United States election ballot—something she has never seen before. Arriving from Cananea, Sonora, Mexico, at age 28, she spent years as a lawful permanent resident holding a green card. Following her naturalization ceremony, she registered to vote.
It is common for newly minted citizens to struggle with the mechanics of voting, as Lisa García Bedolla, a professor of education at the University of California, Berkeley, points out. The first time casting a ballot in a new system often appears intimidating due to unfamiliar processes and language limitations. Between 2022 and 2026, approximately one million Hispanic adults became U.S. citizens through naturalization, according to data from the Pew Research Center, granting them a voice in an electorate where Latinos represent about one in five eligible voters in Arizona.
Yet, specialized support for these voters remains sparse. Beyond the structural hurdles of understanding voter registration and ballot measures, these new voters enter the political arena under the shadow of unsubstantiated federal claims regarding non-citizen voting.
During a speech in Georgia, Donald Trump alleged that thousands of undocumented individuals were permitted to vote in places like New Jersey, claims that PolitiFact found unsupported by federal or state data.
Decades of Residency Preceding the Oath
For many, the journey to citizenship spans decades. Rocío Gallegos, una Tucson mother, lived in the United States for 28 years as a permanent resident before pursuing citizenship. Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, she felt secure with her green card until shifting political rhetoric signaled potential vulnerabilities for immigrants.
Her primary motivation was her daughter, Valeria, who relies heavily on medical care available in the United States. “No,” Rocío recalled thinking, “I need to become a citizen, because he is going to send me back to Mexico. And, literally, I cannot go to Mexico, because I have Valeria who depends on me… depends on all the maximum medical care there is here.”
Federal figures highlight the longevity of such residencies. According to federal immigration statistics of 2022, Mexican nationals top the list of applicants who spend the most time as lawful permanent residents before naturalizing, averaging 10.9 years. A 2017 Pew Research Center study similarly found that Mexican legal immigrants were among the least likely to naturalize compared to other groups.
| Metric / Demographic Group | Data / Statistic |
|---|---|
| Estimated Naturalized Voters | 25 million |
| Share of Hispanic Naturalized Voters (2024) | 33.2% |
| Mexican Immigrant Naturalization Rate (Migration Policy Institute, 2024) | 34% (compared to 51% of total immigrants) |
| Average Years as Permanent Resident Before Naturalizing (Mexican Nationals) | 10.9 years |
Facing the Ballot Box
While the path through the Oath of Allegiance prepares immigrants to understand American civic history and values, it does not always translate the mechanics of casting a ballot. Rocío Gallegos reviews her husband’s early voting ballot, marking her experience with an electoral system she previously avoided due to a lack of trust.
As federal agencies including the DOJ monitor jurisdictions, new citizens continue to weigh personal motivations—ranging from family protection to healthcare stability—against systemic complexities at the polls.
