Green Card Holders' Citizenship Approvals Collapse Before Midterms
Summary
The number of people becoming U.S. citizens dropped sharply in the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2026 compared to the previous two years. This slowdown increased the backlog of citizenship applications and raised concerns that the current administration is deliberately slowing the process before upcoming elections.Key Facts
- In Q3 2026, about 57,700 people were approved for U.S. citizenship, down from over 200,000 in the same quarter in 2024 and 2025.
- Pending citizenship applications rose to more than 742,000 in 2026, growing from 462,974 in 2024 and 529,018 in 2025.
- The biggest decreases in citizenship approvals happened in large cities that usually vote Democratic, such as San Jose, Seattle, and Houston.
- States with many immigrants and naturalized citizens, like California, New York, Florida, and Texas, saw significant drops in approvals.
- Naturalization allows immigrants to vote in federal elections, so delays affect new voter registrations.
- The National Partnership for New Americans said the slowed processing could be a strategy to limit civic engagement before elections.
- The Department of Homeland Security said it changed policies to be stricter compared to previous "rubber-stamping" under the Biden administration.
- In cities like Philadelphia, Houston, and Atlanta, tens of thousands of applications remain unprocessed with no clear timeline.
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