THIS LAND IS THEIR LAND:

Across the country, naturalization ceremonies are making a comeback, in parks, sports arenas and courthouses, after a long hiatus caused by Covid-19 lockdowns that suspended public gatherings, shuttered immigration offices and put thousands of citizenship applications on hold.

Nearly one million immigrants became citizens in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the most in almost 15 years and the third-highest number ever, according to a recent Pew Research analysis, demonstrating the increasing impact of immigration on who lives and works in the United States -- and who votes.

"People have incentives to become citizens," said Jeffrey S. Passel, a senior demographer at Pew Research, who co-wrote the study based on government data. "The numbers have not only rebounded. They are reaching levels we have rarely seen in our history."

The total number of people seeking to become citizens is not reflected in the year-end data and is actually much higher because of the pileup of applications. Some 670,000 naturalizations are still pending.

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