McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A new citizenship test rolled out by the Trump administration is being criticized as too difficult and could deter people from becoming U.S. citizens.
The migrant advocacy nonprofit group National Partnership for New Americans says the new test is longer and has multiple answers, rather than one-word answers that are more complex and subjective regarding American history.
“This new citizenship test is the latest deliberate and systemic barrier designed to exclude, not educate. A person’s ability to become a citizen should not depend on financial resources, literacy level, arbitrary historical opinions, or what they post on their social media accounts,” NPNA Executive Director Nicole Melaku said Wednesday.
The group says the harder test, as well as increased scrutiny of social media accounts to screen for anti-American sentiments are reducing the number of people becoming naturalized citizens.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Sept. 18 announced the new 2025 Naturalization Civics Test in the Federal Register. Applicants must correctly answer 12 of 20 oral questions in order to pass, the agency says.
The Trump administration says a tougher standard was needed.
“American citizenship is the most sacred citizenship in the world and should only be reserved for aliens who will fully embrace our values and principles as a nation. By ensuring only those aliens who meet all eligibility requirements, including the ability to read, write, and speak English and understand U.S. government and civics, are able to naturalize, the American people can be assured that those joining us as fellow citizens are fully assimilated and will contribute to America’s greatness. These critical changes are the first of many,” USCIS Spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said.
USCIS says it also has implemented stricter reviews of disability exceptions to the English and civics requirements.
In order to become a naturalized citizen, applicants also must show “good moral character, looking for positive contributions to American society instead of a mere absence of bad behavior. The agency is also resuming neighborhood investigations to ensure that aliens meet statutory requirements and are worthy of U.S. citizenship,” the agency says.
According to the notice by the Department of Homeland Security in the Federal Register, “Demonstration of English and civics knowledge is essential to showing an alien’s commitment to fulfill the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship and to actively assimilate into American society. Understanding the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, engaging with the government, and fully contributing to the democratic process all rely on a basic understanding of U.S. government and civics.”
A new report by the National Partnership for New Americans and the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at the University of California-San Diego, found an increase in citizenship denials during the first six months of the Trump administration compared to the last six months of the Biden administration.
The report, “Trends in Naturalization During the First 6 Months of the Trump Administration,” found of 514,906 applicants during President Donald Trump’s term, 46,821 were denied and 473,619 were approved — a denial rate of 9.9%. During the last six months of Joe Biden’s term, there were 517,921 applicants and 35,729 were denied and 411,358 were approved — a denial rate of 7.9%.
According to the report, general grounds for denial include a failure to establish any of the following:
- Lawful admission for permanent residence
- Continuous residence
- Physical presence,
- Three months of residence in state or service district
- Good moral character
- Attachment and favorable disposition to the good order and happiness of the United States
- Understanding of English (including reading, writing, and speaking)
- Knowledge of U.S. history and government
- Lack of prosecution
Applications also are taking slightly longer to process under the Trump administration: 6.4 months compared to 6.1 months during Biden’s last six months, the report says.
A “spike in denials, processing times ballooning, canceled citizenship ceremonies due to the government shutdown, and advocates across the country sounding the alarm, the message is clear: we are witnessing the dismantling of our legal immigration system that hurts families, weakens our communities, and undermines the very democracy this test claims to celebrate. We call on Congress to exercise its oversight authority immediately and hold USCIS accountable for these discriminatory barriers and political manipulations,” Melaku said.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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