As confusion persisted over the suspension of naturalization ceremonies in New York, Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler announced late Thursday that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will reverse the cancellations in Rockland and Westchester counties, and across the state.
“Additional guidance on the restoration of naturalization ceremonies will be forthcoming from USCIS,” Lawler said.
The USCIS recently ordered at least seven counties across the state to cancel their upcoming naturalization ceremonies, many of which were scheduled for this week, next week and next month.
The opportunity to become a U.S. citizen is a lengthy and costly process for many, but it’s worth it to take the oath and officially become an American. However, many New York residents are anxiously awaiting to hear when they’ll be able to take that next step.
“We’re told there are no upstate naturalization ceremonies anymore until further notice,” said Taylor Bruck, Ulster County clerk-elect.
Bruck added that Ulster County had a ceremony planned for December and is still waiting for official word from the agency.
“We’ve been following up with USCIS for about a week now to see if we can get ours back. If ours is canceled, we’ve not heard from them at all yet about that,” Bruck said.
Many stakeholders who help immigrants with the citizenship process, such as the American Civic Association, also expressed concern for the individuals they assist, who now face uncertainty and unanswered questions.
“For most, it’s the aspect of uncertainty,” said Executive Director and CEO Hussein Adams. “When will they get that call or receive that letter? And what location? What jurisdiction?”
USCIS released a statement, saying, in part:
“…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.”
They added that individuals affected will be rescheduled to participate in ceremonies at a later date.
County officials say they plan these events far in advance. As America approaches its 250th birthday, big celebrations are already underway.
“We’re doing a lot of planning about how to celebrate the country and what it means to be an American. We had really big plans for our naturalization ceremonies,” Bruck said.