Executive Summary
The Story So Far
Why This Matters
Who Thinks What?
The Trump administration has expanded the criteria for immigrants seeking naturalized U.S. citizenship, requiring a more “holistic approach” to assessing “good moral character.” This move, directed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), includes new stringent financial and behavioral standards that some immigration lawyers have criticized as adding uncertainty to the naturalization process.
Expanded Character Requirements
USCIS has instructed its officers to more heavily consider both positive and negative “attributes or contributions” of individuals applying for naturalization. The agency’s new memo mandates a comprehensive evaluation to ensure applicants have “affirmatively established that he or she has met their burden of establishing that they are worthy of assuming the rights and responsibilities of United States Citizenship.”
According to USCIS, the policy aims to ensure officers account more heavily for an immigrant’s positive attributes, rather than simply the “absence of misconduct,” to reflect their character. The agency stated this is to ensure immigrants “who have engaged in wrongdoing are properly rehabilitated and reformed.”
Specific New Standards
While a standard to show good moral character has long been part of the naturalization process, the new memo introduces more concrete and stringent requirements. Previously, immigrants with overdue taxes only needed to show participation in a payment plan with the IRS to meet the character standard.
The updated policy now requires the full payment of overdue taxes, as well as other obligations such as child-support payments. Additionally, individuals with multiple traffic tickets can now be found to lack good moral character, as can those who engage in “harassment or aggressive solicitation.”
Impact and Broader Context
Immigration attorneys have voiced concerns that the memo is designed in a way that places additional burdens on people going through the naturalization process. They argue it adds an element of unpredictability to an already complex system.
This updated policy represents one aspect of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to scrutinize the lives of individuals applying for citizenship or for the right to live, work, or study in the United States.
The expansion of the “good moral character” requirement by the Trump administration signifies a tightening of the naturalization process. By demanding a more comprehensive assessment and introducing stricter financial and behavioral criteria, the policy aims to ensure applicants fully meet the responsibilities of U.S. citizenship, though it raises concerns among legal experts about increased burdens for immigrants.
