Overview
- President Donald Trump announced new restrictions tied to the D.C. shooting, naming countries such as Afghanistan, Haiti, and Syria.
- USCIS Director Joseph Edlow directed that applicants be vetted "to the maximum degree possible" and curtailed staff authority to make final status decisions.
- Advocacy groups reported disruptions to naturalization, with Project Citizenship saying 21 clients in New England had ceremonies canceled.
- At Boston’s Faneuil Hall on Dec. 4, some approved applicants were pulled from an oath line after officials asked their country of origin, according to local reports.
- A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson defended the delays as a national security measure and said citizenship is a privilege.