A complicated road to citizenship

[Global Nation] 'Our concern is that it’s not a question of volume or resources, it’s a question of political will.' Every year, hundreds of thousands of people participate in citizenship ceremonies. They are overseen by US Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, a federal agency. But the process of becoming a US citizen is becoming more difficult under the Trump administration. Applicants are experiencing more vetting, a proposed hike in the application fee and prolonged processing times — waits that could keep thousands of would-be US citizens from voting in the 2020 general election. Most immigrants must wait five years to become eligible to apply for citizenship (this is, often, after several years of waiting to become eligible for legal permanent residency). After that, the process has normally moved fairly quickly. That has changed since President Donald Trump took office. Nationally, the wait for citizenship currently averages 10 months, nearly double what it was just two years ago. [Under Trump, immigrants face increasingly long and complicated road to citizenship]( SUPPORT GLOBAL NATION Like what you read in this newsletter? Do you value our coverage of immigration and immigrant communities in the United States?[Make a gift]( to support our work now, and your donation will be doubled. [Donate here.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Plus, here are a few more stories you might have missed: [The U visa is supposed to help solve crimes and protect immigrants. But police are undermining it.]( Nataly Alcantara awoke to two shadows standing in her bedroom. Her husband and their toddler son lay next to her, with their 3-month-old daughter nestled in a crib beside the bed. One of the shadows, Alcantara realized, held a knife. [A high school reunion for Iranian Americans, 40 years after the revolution]( On the 40th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, these former classmates said that this reunion — their first in 42 years — took them back to a time and place that felt like a world away. [Early childhood education is critical, but limited. In Oregon, immigrant teachers could be the solution.]( America faces a shortage of early childhood teachers. One program in Portland, Oregon, is trying to address it while helping immigrants overcome challenges in moving up the workforce. [With Congress passing the buck, DACA lands before Supreme Court]( The US Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments that will determine the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The World explores which way the justices could rule — and what the outcomes could mean for DACA recipients. Thanks for joining us! — Marnette Federis, education editor [GlobalNation FB]( [Global Nation Twitter]( [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( Global Nation is a part of PRI - Public Radio International.