Coronavirus Delays US Citizenship Process for Thousands
2020-06-01
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The coronavirus crisis could be preventing thousands of people from completing the final steps to receive U.S. citizenship, activist groups say.
2The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the agency that processes citizenship requests.
3It suspended its in-person services on March 18 to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
4A message on the agency's website says the suspension will remain in place until at least June 4.
5The process of becoming an American citizen is known as "naturalization."
6The final step in this process is to take an oath of loyalty to the country at an official ceremony.
7Wendy De Los Santos is a 38-year-old medical assistant who lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.
8She came to the United States from the Dominican Republic.
9She has passed all naturalization requirements except for the final step of publicly declaring the oath.
10In the middle of March, officials said they would tell her in a few weeks when she could complete the final requirement.
11She is still waiting for that information.
12"It is causing some anxiety. It would be nice to finish the process, even if it has to be done virtually," De Los Santos told The Associated Press.
13She noted that her daughter was able to continue taking school classes through a video conferencing system. "We're here. What's the problem?"
14While many parts of American life have been able to keep operating online, the citizenship process has come to a halt.
15A few small naturalization ceremonies have taken place in some areas.
16But critics say the government has not been good at communicating to people when the final step will happen.
17Citizenship groups have warned that the delays could limit the rights of thousands of voters in the country's elections later this year.
18Time limits for election registration are nearing in a number of states.
19Individuals seeking to vote must be citizens when they register or risk facing criminal charges or possible deportation, the groups say.
20"This is yet another attempt to politicize access to voting," Kristen Clarke told the AP.
21She is president of the Washington, D.C.-based Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
22Clarke added that the final step for citizens should not be used as a way to keep people meeting all other requirements from voting.
23The deputy director of policy for USCIS, Joseph Edlow, said the agency is holding more ceremonies as it becomes better at finding new ways to operate.
24He said that federal law requires people to take their oath "publicly" and "in person."
25Edlow noted that some parts of the ceremony cannot be done virtually, such as collecting permanent resident cards and issuing proof of citizenship documents.
26USCIS has not said exactly how many people have taken part in ceremonies since the coronavirus crisis began.
27But it said at least 85 have been planned through June 4 in 12 American cities.
28The agency also has not said how many people are waiting to complete the final citizenship step.
29But activist groups have estimated it could easily be in the hundreds of thousands.
30Earlier this month in Phoenix, Arizona, about 30 people a day took part in small naturalization ceremonies outside the USCIS office.
31The citizenship seekers wore face coverings as they waved small American flags while waiting to declare the oath.
32And in York, Pennsylvania, officials began completing oath ceremonies outside the local courthouse in the middle of May.
33About six people can take part in each ceremony.
34I'm Bryan Lynn.
1The coronavirus crisis could be preventing thousands of people from completing the final steps to receive U.S. citizenship, activist groups say. 2The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the agency that processes citizenship requests. It suspended its in-person services on March 18 to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. A message on the agency's website says the suspension will remain in place until at least June 4. 3The process of becoming an American citizen is known as "naturalization." The final step in this process is to take an oath of loyalty to the country at an official ceremony. 4Wendy De Los Santos is a 38-year-old medical assistant who lives outside Boston, Massachusetts. She came to the United States from the Dominican Republic. She has passed all naturalization requirements except for the final step of publicly declaring the oath. In the middle of March, officials said they would tell her in a few weeks when she could complete the final requirement. 5She is still waiting for that information. 6"It is causing some anxiety. It would be nice to finish the process, even if it has to be done virtually," De Los Santos told The Associated Press. She noted that her daughter was able to continue taking school classes through a video conferencing system. "We're here. What's the problem?" 7While many parts of American life have been able to keep operating online, the citizenship process has come to a halt. 8A few small naturalization ceremonies have taken place in some areas. But critics say the government has not been good at communicating to people when the final step will happen. 9Citizenship groups have warned that the delays could limit the rights of thousands of voters in the country's elections later this year. 10Time limits for election registration are nearing in a number of states. Individuals seeking to vote must be citizens when they register or risk facing criminal charges or possible deportation, the groups say. 11"This is yet another attempt to politicize access to voting," Kristen Clarke told the AP. She is president of the Washington, D.C.-based Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Clarke added that the final step for citizens should not be used as a way to keep people meeting all other requirements from voting. 12The deputy director of policy for USCIS, Joseph Edlow, said the agency is holding more ceremonies as it becomes better at finding new ways to operate. 13He said that federal law requires people to take their oath "publicly" and "in person." Edlow noted that some parts of the ceremony cannot be done virtually, such as collecting permanent resident cards and issuing proof of citizenship documents. 14USCIS has not said exactly how many people have taken part in ceremonies since the coronavirus crisis began. But it said at least 85 have been planned through June 4 in 12 American cities. 15The agency also has not said how many people are waiting to complete the final citizenship step. But activist groups have estimated it could easily be in the hundreds of thousands. 16Earlier this month in Phoenix, Arizona, about 30 people a day took part in small naturalization ceremonies outside the USCIS office. The citizenship seekers wore face coverings as they waved small American flags while waiting to declare the oath. 17And in York, Pennsylvania, officials began completing oath ceremonies outside the local courthouse in the middle of May. About six people can take part in each ceremony. 18I'm Bryan Lynn. 19The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 20We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 21________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23oath - n. a formal promise 24anxiety - n. worry or concern 25virtually - adv. using computer and internet technology to conduct activities normally carried out in person 26deportation - n. the forced removal of a person from a country 27access - n. a way of getting near, at or to something or someone 28deputy - n. someone who has the second most important job in an organization 29resident - n. someone who lives in a particular place