The Trump administration is making it harder to pass the oral exam required for immigrants seeking naturalization as U.S. citizens. The new test is also longer.
Green card holders who file for citizenship after Oct. 20 will have to answer twice as many questions correctly during the civics interview that tests their knowledge of U.S. history, politics and government and that is one of the final steps in the naturalization process. The list of possible questions will also get longer and include more difficult questions.
A spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Matthew Tragesser, said in a statement when the changes were announced recently that the new test will ensure “that those joining us as fellow citizens are fully assimilated and will contribute to America’s greatness.”
It’s just one of several changes the Trump administration has instituted to make citizenship harder to earn as it seeks more broadly to limit the ability of immigrants and visa holders to enter, remain or settle in the U.S.
The citizenship test that USCIS has used since 2008 requires applicants to answer six questions correctly out of 10. The new test will require 12 correct answers out of 20. The list of possible questions the agent chooses from will grow from 100 to 128, and many will be more difficult.
Questions about U.S. holidays and geography and others with short answers – “What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?” – are being reduced or eliminated, and replaced with tougher ones: “Why did the United States enter the Persian Gulf War?” (Answer, according to the study guide: “To force the Iraqi military from Kuwait.”) Another new question: Why did the United States enter the Vietnam War? (Answer, according to the study guide: “To stop the spread of communism.”)
Aside from the tougher civics test, applicants for citizenship will also have to convince an immigration officer that they have “good moral character.” Until now, the absence of bad behavior or criminal conduct on an applicant’s record has been enough. Now, they’ll need to submit evidence of their “positive contributions to American society.” Immigration officers will also more rigorously check applicants’ backgrounds, possibly interviewing co-workers, family members or neighbors.
Advocates who help people prepare for the citizenship test say the changes present more obstacles in an already challenging and cumbersome process.
“It’s hard to imagine that these changes don’t have a negative impact on the number of people who are able to continue the naturalization process,” said Julie Mitchell, legal director of the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles, which offers citizenship courses. “Particularly considering that these changes will impact individuals with low literacy levels and those who don’t have access to classes and preparation materials.”
She said the naturalization process could also become more uncertain, because it’s unclear what standards immigration officers will use to assess “good moral character.”
Speaking in Washington last month, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said that the current test is “just too easy” because some questions require simple answers, like naming the governor of an applicant’s home state, or two federal holidays.
“We need to know more,” Edlow said. “Especially if we’re going to really understand whether someone has a true attachment to the Constitution as required by the statute.”
But Amanda Frost, a professor of immigration law at the University of Virginia and the author of You Are Not American, a book about the history of citizenship stripping, said that while requiring applicants for citizenship to jump over hurdles is appropriate, there’s no proof that the existing naturalization process is falling short.
“Has there been any evidence that we’re allowing people to naturalize who don’t share our values, and don’t make for good participants in our democracy?” Frost asked. “I don’t see any evidence of that.”
She notes that nearly half of all Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children.
“Those who naturalize, and their children, thrive in the United States, and have benefited this country,” Frost said.
Transcript:
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
The Trump administration is making it harder for immigrants to become naturalized U.S. citizens. Starting next week, it is rolling out changes to the civics test that candidates for citizenship are required to pass. This is one of several changes the administration says are aimed at making sure new U.S. citizens are – in its words – fully assimilated.
We’re joined now by NPR’s Adrian Florido. And Adrian, just explain the process here. The civics test is the last – one of the last steps in the naturalization process. Applicants go into an immigration office. They get asked a bunch of questions by the agent. If they pass, they usually earn their citizenship. And that process is not changing, right?
ADRIAN FLORIDO, BYLINE: That’s right, Mary Louise. That process is staying the same. What is changing is that applicants will now have to answer more questions correctly to pass that test. So with the current test, they have to get right 6 out of 10 questions that the agent asks them. They’ll now have to get twice as many right – 12 out of up to 20 possible questions. And the list of possible questions that they will have to study from is also going to get quite a lot longer, so there’ll be a lot more answers to memorize before you go in for the test.
Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS, is also eliminating what are seen as easier questions on this test – so those about geography. For example, what ocean is on the West Coast of the U.S.? That question is out, and it’s being replaced with questions like, why did the U.S. enter the Persian Gulf War? The right answer, according to the government, is – was to force the Iraqi military from Kuwait. The idea, Mary Louise, is to make this test harder to pass.
KELLY: And why do this? Why does the Trump administration say these changes are needed?
FLORIDO: Well, USCIS has said that they’re about restoring, quote, “integrity” to the naturalization process. They’re saying that the test is too easy. But these changes also reflect broader principles that President Trump has embraced about, you know, what it means to be a good American. A USCIS spokesman said in a statement that U.S. citizenship should only be for people who, quote, “fully embrace our values and principles as a nation.” And he said that this new test will ensure that new citizens are, quote, “fully assimilated and will contribute to America’s greatness.”
The naturalization process is also changing in other ways, Mary Louise. USCIS is requiring applicants to prove that they are of, quote, “good moral character” by providing evidence of positive contributions that they’ve made to the U.S. And immigration officers are also going to do more rigorous background checks on applicants, including possibly interviewing their coworkers, neighbors or family members.
KELLY: So go back to something we just heard in that statement from the immigration official – the term fully assimilated. What does that mean?
FLORIDO: You know, it’s not new that the naturalization process requires a certain amount of integration, or you might say assimilation, into U.S. society. Most applicants have to speak English well enough to answer questions about U.S. history and government, for example. But the government is now saying that the bar is too low. I asked University of Virginia law professor Amanda Frost, who wrote a book about citizenship called “You Are Not American” – I asked her for her take on that claim.
AMANDA FROST: Has there been any evidence that we have held that standard too low – that we’re allowing people to naturalize who don’t share values, don’t make for good participants in our democracy and our society? And I would say I don’t see any evidence of that. Those that naturalize and their children thrive in the United States and have benefited this country.
KELLY: Well, so Adrian, what are the possible consequences of these changes?
FLORIDO: Well, it’s becoming harder to earn U.S. citizenship. And one big question about these questions, Mary Louise, is whether they’ll drive down naturalization rates. And it’s going to take some time to answer that question, but it’s something that folks who help people through the citizenship process worry could happen.
KELLY: That’s NPR’s Adrian Florido. Thank you, Adrian.
FLORIDO: Thank you, Mary Louise.
