USCIS Pauses Oath Ceremonies for Nationals from 19 Countries on Trump Travel-Ban List, Expands Denaturalization Efforts
A USCIS memo dated December 5, 2025, ordered the pausing of oath ceremonies for nationals from 19 countries included on former President Trump's travel-ban list, leading to cancellations in multiple cities across the United States.
In Boston, a naturalization ceremony at Faneuil Hall excluded attendees from the banned countries after staff asked for their countries of origin; notably, a Haitian nursing assistant with nearly 25 years of residency in the US was denied citizenship.
The directive cites security concerns following the November 26, 2025, shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington DC by Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, justifying a comprehensive re-review of high-risk entrants who have entered the U.S. since January 20, 2021.
Applicants have received emails informing them of canceled oath ceremonies, and in some cases, green-card interviews and naturalization interviews have also been paused.
The impact has been reported in at least 16 cities, including Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Houston, St. Louis, and Omaha. The affected nationalities include Iranians, Haitians, Sudanese, Yemenis, Venezuelans, Afghans, Sierra Leoneans, Guineans, and Libyans.
Advocacy groups Project Citizenship and the American Immigration Lawyers Association reported that 21 of their clients experienced oath cancellations while more than 200 others faced pauses at earlier stages of the naturalization process.
Separately, updated guidance from the Justice Department signals an increase in denaturalization efforts targeting 100 to 200 cases per month in fiscal year 2026, a steep rise compared to approximately 120 denaturalizations from 2017 to 2025.
This denaturalization initiative is described as part of a broader anti-immigrant strategy, with observers warning it could extend exclusionary policies reminiscent of the Chinese Exclusion Act era.
Afghan arrivals under the Biden-era Operation Allies Welcome program are among those feeling betrayed, as these policies increasingly affect Afghans and other legally resident groups.
