Guatemala and the US Congress

Banned1 naturalized US Congress member

Only Guatemalan citizens may vote in national elections. Non-citizen residents cannot vote at any level.

Non-citizen voting banned

The Guatemala-to-Congress story

Guatemala has produced 1 naturalized citizen who went on to serve in the US Congress — 1 in the House of Representatives and 0 in the Senate. 1 is currently serving, while 0 have completed their congressional careers. That career began in 2015, during the modern Congress. All of them represented CA in Washington.

Guatemala reserves the ballot for its own citizens: non-native-born residents cannot vote in any election there, no matter how long they have lived in the country. Specifically: Only Guatemalan citizens may vote in national elections. Non-citizen residents cannot vote at any level.

Every Guatemala-born member tracked here has served as Democrats. That produces a striking asymmetry with the United States, which not only naturalized this member but then elected them to help write federal law. A naturalized American who returned to Guatemala would have no such political voice there. Across the full history of the US Congress, Guatemala ranks 32nd of 38 tracked birth countries, accounting for 1 naturalized-citizen lawmaker.

Put plainly: a person born in Guatemala can be entrusted by American voters with a seat in the US Congress, writing federal law for hundreds of millions of people. Yet the same person, if they returned to Guatemala, would be barred from casting even a single ballot there. That is the contrast this tracker exists to surface.

1Total members
1Currently serving
1House
0Senate

Currently serving

Frequently asked questions

Can a naturalized US citizen born in Guatemala serve in the US Congress?

Yes. The US Constitution requires only that a Representative be a US citizen for at least seven years and a Senator for nine years; there is no birth-country restriction. Every member listed above met that standard.

Does Guatemala allow naturalized or non-native-born residents to vote?

Banned. Only Guatemalan citizens may vote in national elections. Non-citizen residents cannot vote at any level.

How many members of the US Congress were born in Guatemala?

1 in total across the years tracked — 1 in the House and 0 in the Senate. Of those, 1 is still serving today.