Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX-07) and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, led 117 Democratic members of the House of Representatives in sending a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow condemning the Trump administration’s decision to cancel naturalization ceremonies and indefinitely halt immigration applications for nationals from the 19 countries covered under President Trump’s travel ban.

In the letter, the lawmakers called on the administration to immediately reverse the decision and restore legal immigration pathways for affected countries. They also pressed DHS and USCIS to provide transparency and submit a comprehensive report to Congress detailing the scope, timeline, justification, and consequences of the policy.

According to a statement from the members, the administration’s action has “caused chaos” nationwide. They cited reports of individuals who had completed extensive vetting, received final approvals, and passed their citizenship examinations being removed from oath ceremony lines by USCIS officers’ moments before taking the Oath of Allegiance.

“Across the country, green card applications, naturalization interviews, and even oath ceremonies are being paused or cancelled, solely on the basis of the applicants’ national origin,” the members wrote. “Despite the Trump Administration’s claims of going after the ‘worst of the worst,’ it is attacking the very people who have followed every process and undergone extensive and repeated vetting to secure legal status. This sweeping action is unjustified, discriminatory, and inconsistent with our nation’s founding principles. We demand that you lift this pause immediately.”

“These naturalization ceremonies are a time of celebration, as soon-to-be U.S. citizens welcome their friends and family to witness their achievement of becoming a U.S. citizen,” the members continued.

The lawmakers further noted that denying this “monumental achievement” to individuals who have waited years, and in some cases decades, to pledge the Oath of Allegiance amounts to a “slap in the face” to those who have devoted significant time and effort to becoming U.S. citizens. They added that the policy also wastes USCIS resources, including staff time spent adjudicating applications and conducting vetting and screening throughout the process.

“The callous decision to halt these immigrant applications is reprehensible and the effects will be devastating for immigrants and citizens alike,” the members wrote. “Without clarity on how long this broad pause will last, soon-to-be citizens will be left in limbo for perpetuity and families will be forced to remain separated. What is clear is that no amount of vetting, moral-character, or commitment to this country and its democratic values is enough to satiate the Trump administration. We oppose the Trump administration’s actions and urge you to lift this pause immediately.”

On June 4, 2025, the Trump administration imposed a ban on travel and legal immigration from Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Myanmar, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. It also partially suspended travel from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, restricting entry for certain visa categories.

On December 16, the administration announced an expansion of the travel ban to include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria. It also imposed partial travel restrictions on Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (CA-33), Democratic Vice Chair Ted Lieu (CA-36), Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Congressmembers Gabe Amo (RI-01), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Becca Balint (VT-01), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Wesley Bell (MO-01), Ami Bera (CA-06), Don Beyer (VA-08), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Andre Carson (IN-07), Greg Casar (TX-35), Sean Casten (IL-06), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Gil Cisneros (CA-31), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Herb Conaway (NJ-03), Lou Correa (CA-46), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Angie Craig (MN-02), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Jason Crow (CO-06), Danny Davis (IL-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Chuy García (IL-04), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Tim Kennedy (NY-26), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Rick Larsen (WA-02), John Larson (CT-01), Summer Lee (PA-12), Susie Lee (NV-03), Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), John Mannion (NY-22), Sarah McBride (DE-01), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Morgan McGarvey (KY-03), Jim McGovern (MA-02), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Rob Menendez (NJ-08), Grace Meng (NY-06), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Richard Neal (MA-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-01), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Scott Peters (CA-50), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Nellie Pou (NJ-09), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Emily Randall (WA-06), Luz Rivas (CA-29), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Bobby Scott (VA-03), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Adam Smith (WA-09), Darren Soto (FL-09), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Mark Takano (CA-39), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Dina Titus (NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Norma Torres (CA-35), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Frederica Wilson (FL-24) joined Congresswoman Fletcher and Congresswoman Jayapal in the letter request.

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