Trump administration moves to make U.S. citizenship harder with revised civics test

"The Trump administration moved again Wednesday to make it harder to gain U.S. citizenship, announcing a slate of changes to the core civics test that immigrants must pass to be naturalized. The changes would expand the number of questions immigrants need to be prepared to answer, and increase the number of questions they must answer correctly in order to pass."

"The shift follows other Trump administration changes to the process by which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials determine whether prospective citizens are qualified, including enhanced assessments of their "moral character" and whether they ascribe to any "anti-American" beliefs, and intense checks into their community ties and social media networks. It also comes amid a broader crackdown on undocumented immigration, and what Trump has said will be the largest "mass deportation" in U.S. history."

"Immigration officials said they are expanding the civics test that prospective U.S. citizens must pass in order to ensure traditional American values and culture are protected. Immigration advocates said the changes add unnecessary barriers to citizenship for people who are following the law and already contributing to the country. The changes would expand the number of questions immigrants need to be prepared to answer, and increase the number of questions they must answer correctly in order to pass."

Immigration officials announced plans to expand the naturalization civics test by increasing the question pool and raising the number of correct answers required to pass, reverting largely to a 2020, more difficult version. The proposed test would draw from 128 possible questions and require prospective citizens to answer 12 of 20 correctly, compared with the 2008 test's 100-question pool. The administration has tightened evaluations of moral character, scrutinized alleged "anti-American" beliefs, and intensified checks of community ties and social media. The shift accompanies a broader crackdown on undocumented immigration and plans for large-scale deportations, drawing criticism that it creates unnecessary barriers to citizenship.

Read at Los Angeles Times