Far fewer immigrants became U.S. citizens this spring than in the past two years. A group representing naturalized citizens says the slowdown could keep new voters off the rolls just days before the Nov. 3 midterm election 1.
A Newsweek analysis of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data found about 57,700 approvals in the April-to-June 2026 quarter. In the same period of 2024 there were 218,720, and in 2025 there were 241,326 1.
Pending applications rose to 742,138. That is up from 529,018 a year earlier and 462,974 two years earlier 1.
Biggest drops in big immigrant hubs
The San Jose, California, field office approved 317 cases this spring, compared with 9,041 a year earlier, a 96.5 percent drop. Seattle approvals fell 90.3 percent, and Houston's fell by just under 50 percent 1.
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Pew Research Center found in 2024 that 55 percent of naturalized voters lived in Florida, Texas, California and New York 1. Becoming a citizen carries the right to vote in federal elections 1.
Nicole Melaku, executive director of the National Partnership for New Americans, told Newsweek she sees a pattern in the data 1. She named Philadelphia with 17,000 pending applications, Houston with 31,000 and Georgia with 17,300 1.
When I looked at the data, I just see a swift denial of, or negation of, processing applications and so we can ascertain that it's part of a strategy to cull or to limit people's access to naturalization and therefore civic engagement
Adam Klein, a former senior DHS official, said a delay can matter as much as a denial. He said an applicant who waits until after an election to become a citizen loses the chance to vote in it 1.
What the administration says
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Newsweek it is undoing what it called "rubber-stamping" under the Biden administration. A spokesperson listed a reinstated 2020 civics test, stronger English requirements and social media screening 1.
Naturalization is a privilege, not a right.
The Newsweek report did not show that any delays were deliberate, and DHS denied that. Other reporting says the data do not point to a single cause for stalled cases. A July report on Chicago found completed naturalizations in the Northern District of Illinois down more than 80 percent in 2026 2.
Why it matters
That matters because an applicant is not a citizen until taking the oath at a ceremony, and ceremonies follow fingerprinting, an interview and a test 2. Someone who filed months ago and is still waiting cannot register as a citizen.
Backlogs are not new, and Klein noted that concerns about slowing naturalizations before the 2020 election arose during the first Trump administration 1. What is new is the size of the drop. Melaku said Congress has oversight of the agency and should ask what it is prioritizing 1.
With the election 11 days away, the question is whether any applicants still waiting can take the oath in time to vote. The reports do not say how many that would be 12.
The Record
- USCIS approved 241,326 naturalization applications in April-June 2025, with 529,018 pending 1.
- Approvals fell to 57,697 in April-June 2026, with 742,138 applications pending 1.
- Newsweek reports advocates' concern that the slowdown may keep new voters from registering before the Nov. 3 midterms; DHS says it is strengthening screening 1.
Sources
- Newsweek, “Green Card Holders' Citizenship Approvals Collapse Before Midterms” (2026-10-23). newsweek.com/green-card-holders-citizenship-approvals-collap
- Hoodline, “Chicago Naturalizations Plunge More Than 80% As Citizenship Waits Stretch” (2026-07-30). hoodline.com/2026/07/chicago-naturalizations-plunge-more-tha
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