Many immigrants in the United States seeking naturalization find themselves in uncertainty for months due to the latest measures taken by the Trump administration.
In the United States, “the path to acquiring American citizenship through naturalization is becoming increasingly thorny,” observes El País. The newspaper has gathered testimonials from long-standing Cuban immigrants in the country and specialized lawyers.
To obtain citizenship, immigrants with permanent residency for at least five years must successfully pass an exam evaluating their knowledge of American history and institutions, as well as their English proficiency.
But in 2025, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) implemented a new, tougher version of the naturalization test. “It now consists of 128 questions instead of 100, and the number of questions asked during the oral interview has gone from 10 to 20 – previously, 6 correct answers were sufficient to pass, now at least 12 are required,” El País explains.
The process also includes an investigation into applicants’ backgrounds to “verify their right to stay, their morality, and their integration into American lifestyle.” Immigration interviews with neighbors and employers are now more thorough. In addition to these adjustments, all visa and naturalization requests from nationals of several “high-risk” countries, whose list continues to grow, have been suspended.
Wilfredo Allen, a lawyer based in Miami, indicates that several of his clients have had their interviews with USCIS agents or their naturalization ceremonies postponed. The administration is also trying to revoke citizenship for some naturalized immigrants and end birthright citizenship for children born to immigrants in the United States which several federal judges have blocked.
All these measures seem designed to “discourage naturalization and create an atmosphere of intimidation.” Since 2019, the number of naturalizations has fluctuated each year between 800,000 and 900,000, “a trend that is now facing the policies of the Trump administration,” emphasizes El País.
