Some New Yorkers hoping to become U.S. citizens were left with uncertainty as the Trump administration cancelled naturalization ceremonies statewide. While some across the state are set to proceed, naturalization ceremonies in Broome County have not yet been confirmed to resume.

According to a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesperson, the federal government determined that some county courts in the state do not meet federal requirements to host these ceremonies, including courts in Broome County and six others.

On Thursday, Republican Congressman Mike Lawler, who represents part of the Hudson Valley, announced in a press release that USCIS agreed to “reverse its recent cancellation of naturalization ceremonies in Rockland and Westchester counties and across New York State.” However, as of Nov. 21, the Broome County courts have not received confirmation if its naturalization ceremonies will be reinstated, according to Hussein Adams, executive director and CEO of the American Civic Association.

Adams told Pipe Dream that the organization received a letter notifying them that their planned Oct. 29 ceremony was cancelled. He originally thought it was related to the federal government shutdown, which lasted from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, before learning that other counties were also similarly alerted.

He added that some of those affected have waited years for the chance to become a U.S. citizen.

“They’ve done everything right, they’ve paid their fees,” Adams said. “They’ve gone through the application process. They’ve sat through interviews, they’ve passed their exam, they’ve submitted all the necessary evidence and now they have to be subjected to this.”

In Broome County, naturalization ceremonies are usually held three or four times a year, Adams said, and have been held in the county courts for decades.

New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a public letter to USCIS Director Joseph Edlow inquiring further information about the cancelled ceremonies, including whether this was a permanent or short-term decision and whether there will be delays in processing citizenship paperwork.

Last Tuesday, State Sen. Lea Webb ‘04 released a statement criticizing the cancellations, saying it was “unacceptable and undermines the process for citizenship and the values of fairness and opportunity for our communities.”

Mayor Jared Kraham also released a statement that day calling on USCIS to “work quickly to reschedule our community’s naturalization ceremony.”

Now that some of these ceremonies are expected to be restored, Kraham urged the agency to quickly reschedule Binghamton’s naturalization ceremony.

“The individuals affected by the cancellation deserve the chance to complete their hard-earned journey toward U.S. citizenship as soon as possible,” Kraham told Pipe Dream in a Nov. 21 statement.

The Trump administration has also restructured other parts of the naturalization process. In September, USCIS released an updated version of the oral citizenship test, which will now require prospective citizens to correctly answer 12 out of 20 questions, an increase from the previous requirement of six out of 10 correct answers. The number of listed questions that could appear on the exam also increased from 100 to 128.

The agency will give immigration officers updated guidance on evaluating an applicant’s good moral character, instructing them to look for “positive contributions to American society instead of a mere absence of bad behavior.”

The administration is also arguing in federal court that the children of undocumented parents born on U.S. soil should not be considered citizens, a position that deviates from over a century of American legal practice. The Fourteenth Amendment states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”

The ACA has not received word yet on whether next year’s naturalization ceremonies are set to proceed as scheduled.

“Our collective advocacy worked in restoring many of NY’s naturalization ceremonies,” Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo MA ‘84 said in a Nov. 21 statement. “I’m relieved to know that these joyful and patriotic occasions will continue. I hope to see Broome County’s ceremony rescheduled soon.”