Washington, DC – Developments this week make clear how the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant agenda is “intensifying” – from the new travel ban for 19 countries to ending and restricting legal immigration pathways to fresh reminders that detentions and deportations are focused on long-residing undocumented immigrants without criminal records.
Given the scale of Trump’s erratic and virulently anti-immigrant policy commands and the escalating crackdown, it could be easy to overlook the reality that the administration is planning to undermine the very process to become a U.S. citizen. It is targeting people legal and eligible for citizenship accordingly. For example, they are:
- Ensnaring spouses of U.S. citizens at green card interviews: As the New York Times reported this week, the administration is increasingly detaining the spouses of U.S. citizens at green card interviews “when they report for the final step to obtain permanent residency.”
- Canceling scheduled naturalization ceremonies: As ABC News noted, “Some naturalization ceremonies for people that were set to be sworn in as U.S. citizens from the 19 countries that have been put on the Trump administration’s new travel ban list have been placed on pause…Naturalization ceremonies scheduled for later this week were canceled for nationals from Venezuela, Iran, and Afghanistan.”
- Threatening a broader denaturalization push to strip some Americans of their U.S. citizenship: Last weekend, President Trump said he “absolutely” wants to explore ways to strip U.S. citizenship from some Americans.
According to Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director, America’s Voice: “America used to celebrate citizenship. Now it is under assault. It used to be a moment of collective pride when an immigrant secured the necessary steps to earn US citizenship; to proudly take the oath celebrating their official recognition as Americans, with all the rights and responsibilities that conveys. In a vile departure from our own history, this administration is now undermining even that process and increasingly is targeting and ensnaring those ready and planning to become full U.S. citizens. With unhinged and openly racist Oval Office rants and equally unhinged and violent ICE raids in our cities and towns, it’s not hard to piece together the larger agenda. Namely, an immigrant free nation.
In this moment, the majority of Americans who believe that immigration is an inherent strength must reject the latest assault against values, interests and bedrock ideals.”
