They were almost American - then Trump cancelled their citizenship ceremonies

December 15, 2025

The Trump administration has cancelled naturalization ceremonies and halted immigration processing for immigrants from 19 countries subject to a travel ban, leaving legal permanent residents who had completed all requirements in limbo just before their final citizenship oath. The policy changes came after a November 26th shooting by an Afghan national in Washington DC, which the administration cited as justification for tightening immigration restrictions, including reducing work visa validity and pausing asylum decisions. Affected individuals like Sanam from Iran and Jorge from Venezuela, who had spent years navigating the legal immigration system and passed extensive vetting, had their ceremonies abruptly cancelled within days of the scheduled dates.

Who is affected

Legal permanent residents from 19 countries already subject to travel bans (including Iran and Venezuela) who were awaiting naturalization ceremonies
Sanam, an Iranian immigrant in Oregon married to a US citizen, whose ceremony was cancelled two days before the scheduled date
Jorge, a Venezuelan immigrant who obtained permanent residency through "extraordinary ability" category in 2017, whose ceremony was cancelled less than 24 hours before
Migrants from the 19 banned countries at all stages of the immigration process
An estimated 132,000 Venezuelan-born people living in New York state alone
Refugees and asylum seekers from the affected countries
Family members of affected immigrants, including Sanam's husband and son

What action is being taken

The Trump administration is cancelling citizenship oath ceremonies for immigrants from 19 countries subject to a travel ban
Immigration processing is being halted for migrants from these 19 countries at all stages
The administration is sending an additional 500 National Guard troops to Washington DC
Work visa validity periods are being reduced from five years to 18 months
All asylum claim decisions are being paused

Why it matters

This policy creates indefinite uncertainty for legal immigrants who have already completed years of extensive vetting, security checks, and legal requirements to become US citizens. The measures affect thousands of people who followed all legal procedures, disrupting their lives at every stage of the immigration process and leaving them in limbo without clarity on when or if they can complete their path to citizenship. The policy represents a significant escalation in immigration restrictions that immigrant rights advocates argue uses a single incident as pretext for broader attacks on immigrants and refugees, while affecting people who have already demonstrated their eligibility through rigorous multi-year screening processes.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC