After more than ten years in the United States, Sanam, an Iranian immigrant, believed she had finally reached the end of a long and exhausting journey. She had completed every requirement to become a US citizen—paperwork, interviews, exams, and security checks. All that remained was her naturalization ceremony.
Two days before she was scheduled to take the oath on 3 December, the ceremony was abruptly cancelled.
At first, there was no explanation. Sanam said she felt stunned and confused, unable to understand how something she had worked toward for years could disappear overnight. She had done everything asked of her and had broken no rules.
Later, she learned the cancellation was tied to her country of birth.
A Long Process Suddenly Put on Hold
Sanam, who lives in Oregon with her husband—a US citizen from Kansas—asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation. Her identity was verified by the BBC. She described the emotional toll of the decision as overwhelming.
“After all these years, you start to wonder if you even have the strength to keep going,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking.”
Her case is not unique. Earlier this month, the Trump administration began cancelling citizenship ceremonies for immigrants from 19 countries already under a US travel ban, including Iran. The decision left legal permanent residents in limbo—people who had completed the entire process and were waiting only for the final oath.
Sanam said the uncertainty has made daily life feel unstable, as if her future depends entirely on shifting government decisions.
Travel Ban Expansion Deepens Uncertainty
The cancelled ceremonies are part of a wider effort to tighten immigration policies. Processing has been paused for migrants from the affected countries at every stage, not just citizenship.
These changes followed a shooting in Washington DC on 26 November, when an Afghan national attacked National Guard members. The administration cited the incident while announcing additional security measures, including deploying more troops, shortening work visa durations, and pausing asylum decisions.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services said the restrictions are necessary to protect national security and public safety.
Immigrant Advocates Sound the Alarm
Immigration advocates argue the policies unfairly punish people who have already undergone years of strict screening.
Mario Bruzzone of the New York Immigration Coalition said the pause effectively functions as a ban, placing refugees, asylum seekers, and lawful residents at risk.
“Many of these individuals have already cleared multiple layers of vetting,” he said. “Now they’re stuck waiting with no answers.”
In New York alone, more than 130,000 Venezuelan-born residents were living in the state in 2023, according to coalition data.
“We Followed Every Rule”
Another immigrant affected by the cancellations is Jorge, a Venezuelan national whose citizenship ceremony was cancelled less than a day before it was scheduled. A permanent resident since 2017, he qualified under the “extraordinary ability” category.
While Jorge supports tougher immigration reviews, he said law-abiding residents with clean records are now being unfairly grouped together with those who may require further scrutiny.
“I just want people who followed every rule to move forward,” he said.
Sanam’s husband described how quickly everything changed. “If this had happened a week later, my wife would already be a citizen,” he said. “It feels like a crisis was used to justify sweeping policy shifts, and we’re living with the consequences.”
