Remember how the Trump administration was going to deport the worst of the worst, violent criminal immigrants? That fell apart pretty quickly, and by September, the majority of people being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities had no criminal records.
Then, of course, there was the yanking of visas based on whether your speech made Trump or other conservatives sad. Then there was the targeting of foreign students, resulting in a 17% drop in international student enrollment.
But what about if you were an immigrant who came here “the right way,” as conservatives always say? And then, when you are on the cusp of becoming a naturalized citizen, the Trump administration just decides that you don’t get to.
Out of the blue, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services canceled multiple naturalization ceremonies in multiple counties in New York. And just to drive the point home, USCIS also announced that there will be “no more ceremonies moving forward.”
The explanation given by USCIS, predictably, makes no sense. Here’s spokesman Matthew J. Tragesser, babbling on: “USCIS is dedicated to ensuring that all aspects of the naturalization process comply with federal law. After reviewing the jurisdiction of certain New York county courts under the Immigration and Nationality Act, we have determined that these courts do not meet the statutory requirements to conduct naturalization ceremonies. As a result, USCIS will transition from judicial to administrative ceremonies to ensure compliance with the law. Aliens scheduled for ceremonies at these courts will be rescheduled, and their naturalization process will continue.”
Naturalization ceremonies are often conducted by state court judges at courthouses. That way, there are multiple locations and people don’t have to travel as far. Now, they can only go to federal courts or a USCIS regional office, which are further away.
There’s no explanation from the government as to why these particular New York state courts suddenly do not meet the requirements to conduct naturalization ceremonies after having done so for years. There also doesn’t seem to be any other state courts that have suddenly failed to meet the statutory requirements.
Ceremonies were canceled in seven counties: Broome, Onondaga, Rockland, Schenectady, Tompkins, Washington, and Westchester. Several of those are sanctuary counties that were initially targeted by the administration, though that was later rolled back. Several have large immigrant communities.
It’s difficult not to be conspiracy-minded about this move. It targets New York, the site of so much of Trump’s rage, particularly as he tries to tear Attorney General Letitia James to pieces. It also shifts ceremonies to USCIS facilities where, quite frankly, they run the risk of getting whisked away and deported.
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That might sound like an absurd speculation, but this is the administration that is arresting people at courthouses, people who are following the law by showing up to court.
The only people Trump wants to welcome to the country are the most racist white people he could find—white South African Afrikaners who remain furious about the end of apartheid. Those are the people Trump values.
Trump’s war isn’t on “illegal” immigrants. Trump’s war is on immigration, period.
