Naturalization ceremonies for new U.S. citizens have been paused at Austin City Hall, according to a memorandum published by city staff Friday.
Austin City Hall was slated to host six ceremonies this year, with the first scheduled for next month. That number is consistent with past years, according to the memorandum. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency in charge of the country’s naturalization process, informed the city that it had paused the scheduled ceremonies because it has processed “significantly less” naturalization applications and because its vetting process has increased, slowing the rate at which applicants become eligible for citizenship.
Naturalization ceremonies occur at the end of the citizenship process and involve candidates reciting an oath of allegiance to the United States. The ceremonies are required to complete that process.
The pause comes as the Trump administration has moved to tighten immigration and naturalization policies nationwide, including issuing a broader halt on naturalization for individuals from countries subject to a federal travel ban. That shift has led to reports of citizenship candidates being removed from scheduled ceremonies. At least 39 countries are currently on the travel ban list, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan and Syria.
It is unclear whether USCIS will resume the naturalization ceremonies scheduled for City Hall, though the agency reviews its need for ceremonies every two months, according to the city’s memorandum. The agency plans to hold a ceremony in San Antonio this month that is open to individuals from the region, including Austin. An unspecified number of ceremonies are still planned for the Austin area in March, the memorandum states.
USCIS and the city of Austin did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
The memorandum does not specify how many Austin-area residents may be affected or whether additional ceremonies could be canceled if application numbers remain low.