The Trump administration has issued new directives to screen legal immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship. Applicants will now be required to display what seems to be heightened “good moral character,” as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services instructed officers in a memo sent on Friday.
The update expands an existing assessment for ‘good moral character’ to include adherence to societal norms
A “good moral character” assessment, alongside English language and civics tests, was already included as a requirement in the U.S. citizenship application. It was fulfilled by anyone who did not display criminal offenses such as murder, aggravated felonies, or drug offenses, according to CBS News.
The memo issued on Friday expands the “good moral character” assessment to include “more than a cursory mechanical review focused on the absence of wrongdoing.” The screening should now be “a holistic assessment of an alien’s behavior, adherence to societal norms, and positive contributions that affirmatively demonstrate good moral character.”
Officers are expected to look for applicants’ community involvement, family ties and caregiving, education, employment and tax status and the length of time spent in the U.S. They will also be looking for “acts that are contrary to the average behavior of citizens in the jurisdiction where aliens reside,” even if lawful. Applicants will need to show they haven’t had actions that are “inconsistent with civic responsibility within the community” via CBS News.
What is prompting this change?
USCIS chief spokesman Matthew Tragesser told CBS News that the new directives are part of the Trump administration’s effort to “restore integrity” to the U.S. immigration system.
“U.S. citizenship is the gold standard of citizenship — it should only be offered to the world’s best of the best,” he added. “Today, USCIS is adding a new element to the naturalization process that ensures America’s newest citizens not only embrace America’s culture, history, and language but who also demonstrate Good Moral Character.”
Former senior USCIS official Doug Rand said the change is to deter legal immigrants from applying for U.S. citizenship.
“They’re trying to increase the grounds for denial of U.S. citizenship by kind of torturing the definition of good moral character to encompass extremely harmless behavior,” he told CBS News.
Student and teacher organizations have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration after it detained and deported non-citizens after reportedly expressing pro-Palestinian views. Last week, Stanford University’s student newspaper sued citing it was stifling free speech, while the American Association of University Professors filed a suit against Secretary of State Marco Rubio over alleged “ideological deportation policy,” according to Time.
The news outlet argues that the change in policy may be used to denaturalize U.S. citizens. The law allows it if a naturalized citizen violates their eligibility condition, which includes being of “good moral character.”
