They were close to becoming Americans, but at the last minute the Trump administration canceled their naturalization ceremony

A woman photographs a man in front of an American flag at a naturalization ceremony in the United States. — caption, Naturalization of migrants from 19 countries, including Cuba and Venezuela, is suspended.

- Author, Grace Eliza Goodwin and Leyla Khodabakhshi
- Author title, BBCNews
9 hours

Sanam, an Iranian immigrant who came to the United States more than a decade ago, was on the verge of finally accepting American citizenship. After years of paperwork, permits, tests, and security checks, I had reached the final step: the naturalization ceremony.

But then, just two days before his swearing-in, on December 3, the US government suddenly canceled the ceremony.

Sanam was initially surprised and confused as no explanation was given to her. She told the BBC that she didn’t understand why it was canceled if she hadn’t done anything wrong.

She later realized it was because of where she was born, and so sadness and frustration took over.

“It has been years and I feel exhausted and wondering whether I should continue with this process because it has been very difficult,” Sanam said. “It’s very heartbreaking.”

One case of many

Sanam, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation but has chosen to share her nickname, lives in Oregon with her husband, a U.S. citizen from Kansas. His identity was confirmed by the BBC.

His case is one of many: Earlier this month, the Trump administration began canceling naturalization ceremonies for immigrants from 19 countries already under a travel ban, including Iran.

This controversial decision left some legal permanent residents like Sanam, as well as others who had already gone through all the procedures to become U.S. citizens and were just waiting for the final step, in a state of uncertain uncertainty.

“I feel like our lives are in a kind of limbo and unstable,” said Sanam, who asserts that she and her husband feel “at the mercy of the government’s decisions.”

This bad experience made him think about whether it was worth staying in the United States. He still has family in Iran, including his elderly parents, and he doesn’t know when he will be able to see them again.

“It’s hard to think about hope right now,” he said. “It’s a really scary time and unfortunately with the holidays approaching it’s really sad that people are going through this when it should be a time of joy and being together with family.”

Several people sit and wait at a naturalization ceremony in the USA. — caption, The final step to naturalization is the oath ceremony.

19 countries affected

Canceling swearing-in ceremonies is just part of the Trump administration’s latest efforts to tighten immigration rules. Immigration procedures have been suspended for migrants from the 19 countries already subject to the travel ban, regardless of what stage they are in, and not just the final stage.

These and similar measures were taken just days after an Afghan man opened fire on two National Guard members in Washington DC on November 26, killing one and seriously wounding the other.

Trump has cited this attack as justification for a series of new measures to curb immigration, including sending 500 additional National Guard troops to the US capital, shortening the validity of work visas from five years to 18 months or suspending all decisions on asylum applications.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has said the restrictions are necessary to protect national security, American lives and public safety.

However, Mario Bruzzone, vice president of policy at the New York Immigration Coalition, a nonprofit that represents hundreds of immigrant rights groups, said the restrictions endanger immigrants who need protection.

“An indefinite suspension is a ban, plain and simple, and they are using the recent shooting in Washington DC as an excuse to increase attacks against immigrants and refugees,” Bruzzone told the BBC.

Several people sit in a room with US naturalization documents in their hands — caption, Many migrants feel in limbo regarding their naturalization process.

Jorge’s case

Jorge, a Venezuelan immigrant, was also on the verge of becoming a U.S. citizen when he was suddenly informed, less than 24 hours before the Dec. 2 ceremony, that it had been canceled without explanation.

“I had everything prepared, including attending the ceremony with my son. Since it was canceled the day before for no apparent reason, we didn’t know what steps to take next,” said the man, whose real name did not want to be used.

His identity and trial were reviewed by the BBC. He said he received permanent residency in 2017 in the “Extraordinary Abilities” category, reserved for the most outstanding professionals in their field.

The Venezuelan immigrant says he agrees with the Trump administration that there should be “stricter vetting” and blames the previous administration of Joe Biden for allowing too many immigrants into the country. He added that he would have supported President Donald Trump if he could have voted.

What worries him, he told the BBC, is that long-term residents with no criminal record are now being “generalized” along with people who he believes require closer scrutiny.

“I just want those of us who have followed all the rules to be able to move forward with our cases and those of us who have committed fraud or crimes to face the appropriate legal consequences,” he said.

A person holds a small US flag and a copy of the country's anthem and oath

Mario Bruzzone pointed out that many immigrants from the 19 countries – including refugees, asylum seekers and legal permanent residents like Sanam and Jorge – have already gone through a comprehensive vetting process that takes years and includes multiple levels of security and medical checks.

In New York state alone, an estimated 132,000 people were born in Venezuela in 2023, according to the New York Immigration Coalition.

The suspension has disrupted people’s lives at all stages of the immigration process and left them in “tremendous uncertainty,” said the representative of this coalition.

Sanam’s husband, who preferred not to reveal his name for fear of reprisals, told the BBC that he found the turn of events astonishing.

“If these National Guard members had been attacked not last week but this week, (my wife) would already be a citizen,” he said the day after Sanam’s scheduled swearing-in ceremony.

“It’s hard to believe how quickly the mechanism was put in place to change all of these policies,” he said. “It seems that in this case the government won’t let a good crisis go to waste. And it’s pretty hard to be in the middle of it.”