Federal data show a dramatic slowdown in naturalization approvals ahead of today’s Nov. 3 midterm election, leaving hundreds of thousands of potential voters in New England and across the U.S. in limbo.
Application approvals through the first eight months of this year are down more than 70% compared to the same period last year.
Lucia Martel Dow, director of the New Americans Campaign for the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, said some people fear they may be targeted for deportation if they even apply.
“People may have no reason why not to apply for naturalization but seeing what is happening in their neighborhoods or people that they know, may definitely make them think twice of whether this is the right time to apply or they want to sit it out,” Martel Dow observed.
Last month, a Department of Homeland Security social media post celebrated the decline in naturalization approvals and increased deportations as part of its mandate for “remigration,” a far-right term used for the removal of non-white immigrants.
A recent poll of more than 1,000 naturalized citizens by the National Partnership for New Americans found 78% believe immigration enforcement has gone too far.
Nicole Melaku, executive director of the partnership, said while 90% of those surveyed expressed a commitment to vote, disinformation regarding voter fraud and stepped-up immigration raids have left them feeling uneasy. She noted an alarming 53% are questioning whether it is safe to cast a ballot.
“I think a lot of folks are sort of computing basically the threat versus the reward and to not be dissuaded from fully participating at this time given what’s at stake,” Melaku explained.
The Trump administration recently announced a $25 million program to encourage the public to report suspected immigration fraud, including voter fraud, to the Department of Justice. Meanwhile, Democratic members of Congress have asked the administration to explain why numerous naturalization ceremonies have been repeatedly canceled or delayed.
They said people have spent years complying with immigration requirements to become U.S. citizens and exercise the given rights, including voting, obtaining a passport or petitioning for family members.
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