Arab immigration to the United States
Encyclopedia
There is a long history of Arab immigration to the United States. It is believed that Arabs accompanied Spanish explorers to the US in the 15th century. During the Revolutionary War
, horses exported from Algeria
replenished the American cavalry and Morocco
was the first country to officially recognize the independence of the United States in 1787 in what is known as the “treaty of Friendship”. However, Arabs did not start immigrating to the United States in significant numbers until the 19th century. Since the first major wave of Arab immigration in the late 19th century, the majority of Arab immigrants have settled in or near large cities. Roughly 94 percent of all Arab immigrants live in metropolitan areas. Nearly one third of all Arab Americans live in or around just three cities: New York
, Los Angeles
and Detroit. While most Arab-Americans have similarly settled in just a handful of major American cities, they form a fairly diverse population representing nearly every country and religion from the region. Arabs are also known for their "ululating" sounds that they emit during celebratory events.
The majority of Arab-Americans in the 21st century are of Christian
backgrounds, with roughly 63 percent of all Arab-Americans claiming Christianity as their religion as of 2002. Prior to 1965 nearly 90 percent of all Arab immigrants were Christian. Moreover, around 32 percent of Arab Americans are of Lebanese heritage. Most attribute the significantly higher number of Arab Christian immigrants
than Arab Muslims
to a few key reasons. First, Arab Christians have had an easier time obtaining American visas than their Muslim counterparts due to prejudices underlying American immigration policies. Second, as the first Arab immigrants were predominantly Christian, even when the immigration process became less discriminatory, the presence of family members in the United States gave Arab Christians better opportunities to immigrate as they were able to find housing and jobs with greater ease. Additionally, some Arab Christians are wealthy and possess strong educational backgrounds, affording them an even greater opportunity to immigrate to the United States.
These figures aside, recent demographics suggest a shift in immigration trends. More Arab Muslims are coming to the United States than ever before in the most current wave of Arab immigration to the aforementioned country. Arab immigration has, historically, come in waves, most often as a result of struggles and hardships stemming from specific periods of war or discrimination in their respective mother countries.
was passed nearly ending immigration from this region for the time being. The overwhelming majority of Arab immigrants during this period came from the Ottoman
province of Syria, which currently encompasses the countries of Syria
, Lebanon
and Palestine
. Because it was not until the 1920s, with the Lebanese national movement, that immigrants from what is now modern Lebanon started adopting a Lebanese national identity, Arabs immigrating prior to that decade from modern day Lebanon were regarded as Syrians
. A predominantly Christian population, these Arab immigrants followed several branches of Christianity, primarily Maronite
, Melkite
and Eastern Orthodoxy
. During this period of time only five to ten percent of all Arab immigrants were Muslim, and an even smaller fraction were Druze
. As discussed above, Christians historically had a much easier time immigrating to the United States than their Muslim countryman. Additionally, during this first wave of immigration, greater Syria was still under Muslim Ottoman control. As the 20th century approached the decline of the Ottoman Empire was becoming apparent, while Western Christian states in Europe and North America were concurrently flourishing and transforming themselves into modern industrial powers. As author Alixa Naff states, “for Muslims, loyalty to an Islamic ruler, even one perceived as inept or cruel, was critical if Islam was to remain unified and if it was to withstand inimical Western Christian influences. Arab Christians on the other hand, exposed to and protected by the Christian West, attributed the decline of Arab culture to the backwardness of Islam and its Turkish rulers.” In fact, by the mid-18th century each major branch of Christianity in the region was supported by a European power, exacerbating tensions between Arab Christians and Arab Muslims and thus increasing discrimination against the Christian minority. Specifically sparking the migration was the 20 years of in-fighting between Druze and Christians in greater Syria. In 1860 alone an estimated 20,000 Maronite Christians were killed. From 1908 until the demise of imperial rule, many young men left the Levant in order to avoid conscription into the Ottoman Army. In this environment, it is unsurprising that many “Syrian” Christians seized this opportunity to emigrate in hopes of a better life, and many ultimately ended up in the United States.
from the late 1920s to the end of the 1940s. However, by 1948 war had broken out between Arab states and Yishuv
forces. The 1948 Arab-Israeli War
sparked a mass migration of Arabs, primarily Palestinians. The war, which ended in 1949, displaced over 750,000 Palestinians, from a population of only 1.3 million, from their homeland. From 1948 until 1966, only 80,000 Arabs officially immigrated to the United States. Of these 80,000, the majority were ethnic Palestinians
while the second largest group was made up of Egyptians
.
This new group of immigrants differed greatly from their predecessors, most markedly in their religious backgrounds. 90 percent of all first wave Arab immigrants professed Christianity as opposed to only 40 percent in the second wave. Moreover, this group tended to be better educated, the majority of males having college degrees, and in much better financial states than the first wave immigrants. Many of the Arabs that immigrated between 1950–1965 were members of the established elite in countries like Egypt, Syria, and Iraq
who fled due to popular revolutions and the new regimes that came with them. This is a trend that continues to the present, contributing to the “brain drain” problem throughout the Middle East. Moreover, whereas first wave immigrants tended to go directly to the United States from their country of origin, for second wave immigrants, the United States was often the second or third destination. Palestinian immigrants during this time commonly went to Lebanon, Egypt, or Syria before making the journey to the United States.
in the Middle East
during the past few decades helped further drain the region of its native Christian populations.
Just as with the previous influx of Arab immigrants, the third major Arab immigration trend consisted of more Palestinians than any other group. The actual number of Palestinians who immigrated to the US during this time is not known because often the United States was not their first destination. Perhaps as many as a quarter of the nearly 800,000 Arabs were of Palestinian descent. The massive Palestinian exodus was further motivated by the 1967 Six Day War. Further spurring Palestinian immigration were the intifada uprisings of 1987–1993
and 2000–2005.
Aside from Palestinians, Lebanese made up the next biggest group of immigrants during this time. From 1965 to 2005 around 135,000 Lebanese came to the United States. The overwhelming majority, roughly 120,000, came after the commencement of the Lebanese Civil War
in 1975. Furthering the emigration from Lebanon was Israel’s 1982 invasion.
Egyptians and Iraqis also immigrated to the United States in large numbers during this period. From 1967 to 2003 more than 120,000 Egyptians have immigrated to the US. Of this population, around 50,000 were Coptic Christians. Also, since 1967, 108,000 Iraqis
have come to the US. Many fled during the country's drawn-out war with Iran lasting from 1980–1988
. Again, in keeping with the “brain-drain” trend of the region, a large portion of these immigrants were educated professionals not willing to serve in the army. Harsh United Nations sanctions following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
further deteriorated Iraq’s economy, increasing emigration. Between the first
and second US invasions of Iraq roughly 53,000 Iraqis immigrated to the United States. A sizable portion of Iraqi immigrants during this time were Chaldean Christians
. For instance, in Detroit alone from 1960–2003 the Chaldean community grew from 3,000 to 80,000, out of a total population of around 150,000 Iraqi Chaldeans in the US as of 2006.
Large numbers of Syrians and Yemenis immigrated to the United States during this wave as well. Since 1967, some 36,000 Syrians have immigrated to the US.
Arab Christians fleeing from religious persecution in the Middle East continue to emigrate into the U.S. during the 2000's.
* Excludes those who identify as Chaldeans, Assyrians or other Christian minorities in Iraq.
** Includes those from Algeria, Bahrain, Comors Islans, Djibouti, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, The United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Does not include person from Sudan, Somalia, or Mauritania.
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, horses exported from Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
replenished the American cavalry and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
was the first country to officially recognize the independence of the United States in 1787 in what is known as the “treaty of Friendship”. However, Arabs did not start immigrating to the United States in significant numbers until the 19th century. Since the first major wave of Arab immigration in the late 19th century, the majority of Arab immigrants have settled in or near large cities. Roughly 94 percent of all Arab immigrants live in metropolitan areas. Nearly one third of all Arab Americans live in or around just three cities: New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Detroit. While most Arab-Americans have similarly settled in just a handful of major American cities, they form a fairly diverse population representing nearly every country and religion from the region. Arabs are also known for their "ululating" sounds that they emit during celebratory events.
The majority of Arab-Americans in the 21st century are of Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
backgrounds, with roughly 63 percent of all Arab-Americans claiming Christianity as their religion as of 2002. Prior to 1965 nearly 90 percent of all Arab immigrants were Christian. Moreover, around 32 percent of Arab Americans are of Lebanese heritage. Most attribute the significantly higher number of Arab Christian immigrants
Christian emigration
Christian emigration is the migration of Christian people from countries that have a high percentage and majority of non-Christians. Areas that have been particularly affected by Christian emigration include the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and the Far East...
than Arab Muslims
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
to a few key reasons. First, Arab Christians have had an easier time obtaining American visas than their Muslim counterparts due to prejudices underlying American immigration policies. Second, as the first Arab immigrants were predominantly Christian, even when the immigration process became less discriminatory, the presence of family members in the United States gave Arab Christians better opportunities to immigrate as they were able to find housing and jobs with greater ease. Additionally, some Arab Christians are wealthy and possess strong educational backgrounds, affording them an even greater opportunity to immigrate to the United States.
These figures aside, recent demographics suggest a shift in immigration trends. More Arab Muslims are coming to the United States than ever before in the most current wave of Arab immigration to the aforementioned country. Arab immigration has, historically, come in waves, most often as a result of struggles and hardships stemming from specific periods of war or discrimination in their respective mother countries.
First wave of Arab immigration to the United States
While individually Arabs have been immigrating to North America since before the United States became a nation, the first significant period of Arab immigration began in the 1870s and lasted until 1924 when the Johnson-Reed Quota ActImmigration Act of 1924
The Immigration Act of 1924, or Johnson–Reed Act, including the National Origins Act, and Asian Exclusion Act , was a United States federal law that limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to 2% of the number of people from that country who were already...
was passed nearly ending immigration from this region for the time being. The overwhelming majority of Arab immigrants during this period came from the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
province of Syria, which currently encompasses the countries of Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. Because it was not until the 1920s, with the Lebanese national movement, that immigrants from what is now modern Lebanon started adopting a Lebanese national identity, Arabs immigrating prior to that decade from modern day Lebanon were regarded as Syrians
Syrian American
Syrian Americans are residents of the United States of Syrian ancestry or nationality. This group includes Americans of Syrian ancestry, Syrian first generation immigrants, or descendants of Syrians who emigrated to the United States. Syrian Americans may be members of a number of differing...
. A predominantly Christian population, these Arab immigrants followed several branches of Christianity, primarily Maronite
Maronite Church
The Syriac Maronite Church of Antioch is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See of Rome . It traces its heritage back to the community founded by Maron, a 4th-century Syriac monk venerated as a saint. The first Maronite Patriarch, John Maron, was elected in the late 7th...
, Melkite
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See as part of the worldwide Catholic Church. The Melkites, Byzantine Rite Catholics of mixed Eastern Mediterranean and Greek origin, trace their history to the early Christians of Antioch, Syria, of...
and Eastern Orthodoxy
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
. During this period of time only five to ten percent of all Arab immigrants were Muslim, and an even smaller fraction were Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
. As discussed above, Christians historically had a much easier time immigrating to the United States than their Muslim countryman. Additionally, during this first wave of immigration, greater Syria was still under Muslim Ottoman control. As the 20th century approached the decline of the Ottoman Empire was becoming apparent, while Western Christian states in Europe and North America were concurrently flourishing and transforming themselves into modern industrial powers. As author Alixa Naff states, “for Muslims, loyalty to an Islamic ruler, even one perceived as inept or cruel, was critical if Islam was to remain unified and if it was to withstand inimical Western Christian influences. Arab Christians on the other hand, exposed to and protected by the Christian West, attributed the decline of Arab culture to the backwardness of Islam and its Turkish rulers.” In fact, by the mid-18th century each major branch of Christianity in the region was supported by a European power, exacerbating tensions between Arab Christians and Arab Muslims and thus increasing discrimination against the Christian minority. Specifically sparking the migration was the 20 years of in-fighting between Druze and Christians in greater Syria. In 1860 alone an estimated 20,000 Maronite Christians were killed. From 1908 until the demise of imperial rule, many young men left the Levant in order to avoid conscription into the Ottoman Army. In this environment, it is unsurprising that many “Syrian” Christians seized this opportunity to emigrate in hopes of a better life, and many ultimately ended up in the United States.
Facts
- New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Ellis IslandEllis IslandEllis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
were the gateways for a large number of immigrants coming from greater Syria. By 1900 more than half of all Syrians in America resided in New York while a great many others lived across the Hudson RiverHudson RiverThe Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
in New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Many of the first immigrants from this region became involved in the New York and New Jersey garment industry. By 1924 there were 25 Syrian owned and operated silk factories in PatersonPaterson, New JerseyPaterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
and West HobokenWest Hoboken, New JerseyWest Hoboken was a municipality that existed in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, from 1861 to 1925.West Hoboken was originally incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 28, 1861, from portions of North Bergen Township. The township was reincorporated on...
, New Jersey alone. - During the first wave of immigration, Arab men outnumbered Arab women at least four to one over time causing a very high intermarriage rate. In fact, the 1990 census showed that more than 80 percent of US born Arab-Americans had non-Arab spouses.
- Although only accounting for less than 10 percent of the total number of Arab immigrants to the United States, they had relatively large numbers in certain midwesternMidwestern United StatesThe Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
towns. The majority were “attracted to the great booming midwestern factories of steel, tin automobiles, and trains in cities such as Pittsburgh, New CastleNew Castle, PennsylvaniaNew Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638. The population has fallen to 26,309 according to the...
(Pennsylvania), Detroit, and Michigan CityMichigan City, IndianaMichigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston. Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, located at 317 Detroit St., is named after the founder....
."
Second wave of Arab immigration to the United States
Immigration slowed greatly due to restrictive quotas and the Great depressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
from the late 1920s to the end of the 1940s. However, by 1948 war had broken out between Arab states and Yishuv
Yishuv
The Yishuv or Ha-Yishuv is the term referring to the body of Jewish residents in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel...
forces. The 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
sparked a mass migration of Arabs, primarily Palestinians. The war, which ended in 1949, displaced over 750,000 Palestinians, from a population of only 1.3 million, from their homeland. From 1948 until 1966, only 80,000 Arabs officially immigrated to the United States. Of these 80,000, the majority were ethnic Palestinians
Palestinian American
Palestinian Americans are Americans of Palestinian ancestry. It is difficult to say when the first Palestinian immigrants arrived at the United States; however, many of the first immigrants to arrive were Christians escaping persecution from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century...
while the second largest group was made up of Egyptians
Egyptian American
Egyptian Americans are Americans of Egyptian ancestry, first-generation Egyptian immigrants, or descendants of Egyptians who immigrated to the United States. In the 2007 U.S. census, the number of people with Egyptian ancestry was estimated at 195,000, although some estimates range from several...
.
This new group of immigrants differed greatly from their predecessors, most markedly in their religious backgrounds. 90 percent of all first wave Arab immigrants professed Christianity as opposed to only 40 percent in the second wave. Moreover, this group tended to be better educated, the majority of males having college degrees, and in much better financial states than the first wave immigrants. Many of the Arabs that immigrated between 1950–1965 were members of the established elite in countries like Egypt, Syria, and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
who fled due to popular revolutions and the new regimes that came with them. This is a trend that continues to the present, contributing to the “brain drain” problem throughout the Middle East. Moreover, whereas first wave immigrants tended to go directly to the United States from their country of origin, for second wave immigrants, the United States was often the second or third destination. Palestinian immigrants during this time commonly went to Lebanon, Egypt, or Syria before making the journey to the United States.
Third wave of Arab immigration to the United States
The number of immigrants remained relatively small during the second wave of Arab immigration, primarily due to the restrictive immigration policies of the US. However, in 1965, the United States passed new immigration reforms allowing a new wave of Arabs to immigrate. This new group of Arab immigrants was demographically similar to those that immigrated during the past 20 years; however, this wave differed largely in its scope and in their reasons for immigrating. Between 1967 and 2003 some 757,626 Arabs came to the United States, nearly eleven times the number of immigrants during the second wave. Moreover, during this time, in addition to increasingly regular conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors, this era was marked by widespread “intra-Arab warfare” and a general increase in religious, ethnic and sectarian tensions in the region. Also, the rise of IslamismIslamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
during the past few decades helped further drain the region of its native Christian populations.
Just as with the previous influx of Arab immigrants, the third major Arab immigration trend consisted of more Palestinians than any other group. The actual number of Palestinians who immigrated to the US during this time is not known because often the United States was not their first destination. Perhaps as many as a quarter of the nearly 800,000 Arabs were of Palestinian descent. The massive Palestinian exodus was further motivated by the 1967 Six Day War. Further spurring Palestinian immigration were the intifada uprisings of 1987–1993
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....
and 2000–2005.
Aside from Palestinians, Lebanese made up the next biggest group of immigrants during this time. From 1965 to 2005 around 135,000 Lebanese came to the United States. The overwhelming majority, roughly 120,000, came after the commencement of the Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
in 1975. Furthering the emigration from Lebanon was Israel’s 1982 invasion.
Egyptians and Iraqis also immigrated to the United States in large numbers during this period. From 1967 to 2003 more than 120,000 Egyptians have immigrated to the US. Of this population, around 50,000 were Coptic Christians. Also, since 1967, 108,000 Iraqis
Iraqi American
Iraqi Americans are Americans of Iraqi descent, including those who are expatriates in exile or permanent immigrants. The number of Iraqi Americans is around 140,000 according to the Arab American Institute....
have come to the US. Many fled during the country's drawn-out war with Iran lasting from 1980–1988
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
. Again, in keeping with the “brain-drain” trend of the region, a large portion of these immigrants were educated professionals not willing to serve in the army. Harsh United Nations sanctions following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
Invasion of Kuwait
The Invasion of Kuwait, also known as the Iraq-Kuwait War, was a major conflict between the Republic of Iraq and the State of Kuwait, which resulted in the seven-month long Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, which subsequently led to direct military intervention by United States-led forces in the Gulf...
further deteriorated Iraq’s economy, increasing emigration. Between the first
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
and second US invasions of Iraq roughly 53,000 Iraqis immigrated to the United States. A sizable portion of Iraqi immigrants during this time were Chaldean Christians
Chaldean Christians
Chaldean Christians are ethnic Assyrian adherents of the Chaldean Catholic Church, most of whom entered communion with the Catholic Church from the Church of the East, which was already Catholic, but most wanted to stray away from the Catholic Church, causing the split in the 17th and 18th...
. For instance, in Detroit alone from 1960–2003 the Chaldean community grew from 3,000 to 80,000, out of a total population of around 150,000 Iraqi Chaldeans in the US as of 2006.
Large numbers of Syrians and Yemenis immigrated to the United States during this wave as well. Since 1967, some 36,000 Syrians have immigrated to the US.
Arab Christians fleeing from religious persecution in the Middle East continue to emigrate into the U.S. during the 2000's.
Population Facts
- Arab American Community by National Origin according to the 2000 U.S. Census.
Nationality Arab American Population (%) Lebanese 34 Egyptian 11 Syrian 11 Chaldean/Assyrian/Syriac 7 Palestinian 6 Iraqi* 3 Moroccan 3 Jordanian 3 Arab 15 Other Arab** 17
- Today, Arabs make up roughly 1.2 percent of the overall U.S. Population.
- Between 1990 and 2000 the Arab American population increased by an estimated 30 percent.
- Lebanese are the largest group of Arab Americans in every state except for New Jersey, where Egyptians make up the largest nationality.
- 80 percent of Arabs living in the United States are citizens.
- As of the 2000 Census, 40 percent of Arab Americans are first generation, a quarter of them having come since 1990.
- According to the 2000 Census, Arab Americans are more wealthy and better educated than the average American.
- According to the 2000 Census, 88 percent of Arab Americans work in the private sector. Specifically, 73 percent work in managerial, professional, technical, sales, or administrative fields.