U.S. immigration officials will be applying more rigor to the process to become a U.S. citizen, paralleling more aggressive efforts to search out and deport immigrants in the country illegally.
As West Valley City attorney Ysabel Lonazco sees it, the changes underscore the importance of getting good advice in applying for citizenship, and to that end, a contingent of legal experts will hold a free event Saturday to help would-be citizens. Part of national Citizenship Day events hosted around the country by the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Saturday’s installment in Utah goes from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and will be held at the South Salt Lake Community Center, 2531 S. 400 East.
“The purpose is to help as many people become U.S. citizens to give them a sense of belonging to this country, which is so critical right now,” Lonazco said. A contingent of around 20 volunteers will be on hand, providing help, most specifically, in filling out the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services N-400 form, geared to legal permanent residents applying for naturalization as U.S. citizens.
Boosters typically tout becoming a U.S. citizen as a way of connecting more deeply with the country. Lonazco further noted the importance of going through the process in light of the ongoing crackdown on immigrants in the country illegally under President Donald Trump. Those efforts, she said, have led to the targeting of even immigrants lawfully present in the country.
“I think applying for citizenship will empower these legal permanent residents to make sure that they have this document, this naturalization document that says, ‘I belong here. You cannot take this away from me,’” she said.
Various changes are in the works by the Trump administration in the process of becoming a citizen, according to Lonazco. On Wednesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced plans to change the civics test that those applying for U.S. citizenship must take.
By implementing the changes, “the American people can be assured that those joining us as fellow citizens are fully assimilated and will contribute to America’s greatness. These critical changes are the first of many,” said agency spokesman Matthew Tragesser. More specifically, immigrants taking the civics test will have to answer at least 12 of 20 questions put to them correctly, up from six of 10 questions.
Last August, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced changes bolstering efforts to ensure the “good moral character” of applicants for citizenship via more rigorous investigations of their past. The increased efforts aim to make sure that those seeking citizenship are “well-disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States,” reads a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services memo on the change.
The agency said in a statement Wednesday that new policy changes spell out that “unlawfully voting, unlawfully registering to vote and making false claims to U.S. citizenship disqualify aliens from showing good moral character.”