Approved Immigrants Pulled From Citizenship Line Moments Before Oath in Boston, Report Says

Immigrants who had been approved for U.S. naturalization were removed from the line at a Boston citizenship ceremony moments before taking the oath, according to a report by WGBH. The actions followed new internal guidance from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to pause processing for nationals of 19 countries.

What Happened

The incident occurred on Thursday, Dec. 4, at Faneuil Hall in Boston. As attendees who had completed the long naturalization process prepared to pledge allegiance, USCIS staff asked people their countries of origin and told some they could not proceed. Many of those affected had already received approval notices and had traveled to the ceremony expecting to complete the final step of becoming U.S. citizens.

Agency Guidance And Reaction

USCIS issued a memo on Dec. 2 directing employees to halt adjudication of immigration applications for nationals from 19 countries that the Trump administration previously designated as high-risk and subject to travel restrictions implemented in June. The pause affects both green card and citizenship applicants.

“People were plucked out of line. They didn’t cancel the whole ceremony,” said Gail Breslow, executive director of Project Citizenship, a nonprofit that helps immigrants apply for citizenship. She added that many clients were blindsided after not receiving cancellation notices in time.

Elizabeth Sweet, executive director of the MIRA Coalition, called the approach used by officials “unnecessarily cruel,” saying that canceling the final step of naturalization punishes people who have invested time, money and effort to become full members of their communities.

Who Is Affected

USCIS’s guidance specifically identified nationals from the following 19 countries as subject to full or partial restrictions: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela and Haiti.

Agency Statement And National Security Rationale

In its Dec. 2 memo, USCIS acknowledged that the pause could delay adjudication for some pending applications but said the agency judged the delays necessary to ensure applicants are vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told NBC News the administration sought to ensure that those becoming citizens are "the best of the best," adding, "Citizenship is a privilege, not a right."

USCIS did not immediately respond to requests for comment from media outlets in the days following the Dec. 4 ceremony.

Impact

For many affected applicants, the pause meant canceled ceremonies, last-minute removal from lines where they expected to take the oath, and emotional distress for applicants and their families. Advocacy groups say the policy will have a disproportionate human cost without clear evidence it improves security at the community level.