Legal immigration process is breaking
The first naturalization ceremony since the federal shutdown ended took place Thursday in the Central Islip courthouse. Credit: Rick Kopstein
A naturalization ceremony is the end of the long path to citizenship. The candidates, dressed in their finest and holding miniature American flags, take an oath of allegiance to support and defend the U.S. Constitution. It’s a celebration that often includes tears of joy after years of perseverance, a time of great pride and possibility. Judges presiding over these ceremonies will often say these are the most gratifying days on the bench.
In recent weeks, however, U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services has been canceling these monthly events around New York State saying there aren’t the usual 50 candidates ready to take the oath. And Newsday's news division is reporting that in the last few days some Long Islanders who have been waiting decades for their ceremony are having final interviews canceled with no explanation.
The Trump administration's stated goal of detaining and deporting those here illegally and who have committed crimes and ICE's often excessive behavior in carrying out the mission defines the immigration debate. It’s consuming a vast amount of resources. What is being obscured are the policy changes that are breaking the nation's legal immigration process, already undermined by a sclerotic bureaucracy.
Those who already have permanent resident status, known as green card holders, are waiting many years to take their oath. Reviews of new applications for green cards from visa holders are delayed and critical vetting appointments are years behind schedule. This not only brings personal costs to those waiting, the uncertainty frustrates employers and depresses economic activity.
The roots of this problem are several decades long. Congress last reformed the complex system of immigration rules in 1990. The Biden administration's loose southern border policies allowing people to come across and make asylum claims while here further backed up immigration courts. President Donald Trump is putting more demands on the processing system and more barriers to immigration.
The recent fatal shooting of one West Virginia National Guard member by an Afghani who had worked with the CIA in fighting the Taliban has prompted Trump to issue a "permanent pause" to migration from 19 nations, which soon could expand to 32. The president also ordered renewed vetting of all green card holders and asylum applicants from these nations, a pool of over 2.2 million people. Those seeking residency from the initial 19 countries are almost all people of color.
On Thursday, Trump went further and changed the work permit rules for those seeking asylum, refugee status or entry through another humanitarian program. Now permit holders must undergo a new vetting process every 18 months instead of 5 years. The result is that millions of people could have the legal right to be in the country, but not the ability to work.
The effort to clamp down on illegal immigration is making the path for those who follow the rules longer and more vexing, putting those joyful ceremonies even further out of reach.
MEMBERS OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD are experienced journalists who offer reasoned opinions, based on facts, to encourage informed debate about the issues facing our community.
