For years Johanan Rivera worried that becoming a U.S. citizen would lessen his sense of connection to his Mexican roots. After 15 years as a permanent resident he applied in February 2025 and took the oath about a year later. He said the prospect of a second Trump administration pushed him and his partner to seek more certainty about staying together in the same country.
Newly released USCIS data show 2025 was a year of dramatic ups and downs in naturalization activity, including large surges in applications, record monthly approval totals at times, and an overall decline in approvals by early 2026. Immigration specialists attribute the volatility to a mix of political messaging, stepped-up enforcement rhetoric and new screening practices that altered the final stage of many immigrants’ legal journeys.
From February through April 2025, 270,290 people filed naturalization applications, an early-term rush tied to fears about potential mass removals and tightened rules. USCIS approved unusually large numbers of cases during those months, and at one point in 2025 the agency approved 88,488 applications in a single month — the largest monthly total since USCIS began releasing monthly breakdowns in 2022. But the pace slowed sharply: by January 2026 monthly approvals had dropped to 32,862, the lowest recorded level in the published series.
Applications themselves swung wildly. October 2025 produced a four-year high of 169,159 applications, but the next month that figure fell to 41,478. Total monthly completions (approvals plus denials) fell from 78,379 in September 2025 to 37,832 by January 2026.
Experts say spikes in demand reflect political uncertainty. Theresa Cardinal Brown, an immigration consultant and Cornell Law fellow, points to widespread fear of deportation as a driver for people who were eligible but had delayed applying; many sought to lock in citizenship as protection.
At the same time USCIS announced and implemented tougher procedures. The agency said it would pause decisions for applicants from countries it deemed high risk and expand screening and vetting measures: it reinstated the 2020 civics test format for 2025, tightened English requirements, said it would scrutinize applicants’ social media for anti-American activity, and revived neighborhood investigations to evaluate moral character and attachment to the Constitution. USCIS framed these moves as restoring integrity and security and said it would not take shortcuts in adjudication.
In August 2025 guidance emphasized stricter moral-character reviews, and in September the agency proposed a longer, more demanding citizenship test and reintroduced neighborhood checks, a practice largely unused since 1991. Officials and advocates acknowledge that these steps are time-consuming and likely slowed processing. In the wake of a November shooting in Washington, D.C., involving an Afghan national, USCIS paused processing for people from 39 countries and for holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents — a measure that further constrained approvals and heightened uncertainty.
Community leaders say the political climate and the administration’s messaging have deterred many eligible immigrants from engaging with federal agencies. Gianina Horton, a city council member in Aurora, Colorado, reported that some residents are choosing not to apply at all because they do not want to be visible to authorities or worry about being placed on lists that could expose them to targeting.
Advocates say the shifting rules and rhetoric have undermined trust. Margy O’Herron of the Brennan Center for Justice warned that controlling who is granted citizenship can feel like a broader effort to manage who is considered American. Nicole Melaku of the National Partnership for New Americans said the falling numbers look like an administration slow-walking naturalizations or denying opportunities for citizenship.
Some applicants who were far along in the process were turned away from scheduled ceremonies, adding to the sense of unpredictability and alarm among people who had followed the rules. Prospective citizens described anxiety at interviews and ceremonies; one applicant called the interview experience terrifying even though he had nothing to hide. Rivera said his choice to naturalize was driven by a desire for security and flexibility that U.S. citizenship provides.
USCIS officials defend the changes as necessary to ensure applicants meet legal standards for citizenship. Critics contend that the cumulative effect of policy shifts, increased vetting and processing pauses has produced real declines in both applications and approvals and has eroded faith in the immigration system at a critical moment for would-be citizens.