By the Board of Trustees, The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association
Last week, several individuals who had completed all requirements for United States citizenship arrived at Faneuil Hall in Boston to take their oath of allegiance. Instead, they were turned away and informed that their path to citizenship had been blocked indefinitely—solely because of their countries of origin.
Following the shooting of two National Guard members in November, the Trump administration announced sweeping restrictions against immigrants and refugees from nineteen countries deemed “high risk.” What was not made clear at the time was that these measures would also halt citizenship applications for individuals from those countries. The scene that played out in Boston will likely be repeated elsewhere in the weeks ahead.
At The House of the Seven Gables, we proudly offer free preparation classes for prospective citizens. Our students—like all applicants for naturalization—are legal permanent residents of the United States and have already been extensively screened and vetted. They have dedicated years to building their lives here, and are spending months studying for their citizenship exam and interview. Time is not their only commitment: the process can cost hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars.
The naturalization ceremony is the final step in a long journey. We host a ceremony similar to those at Faneuil Hall at our historic site in Salem every year. It is an emotionally moving occasion. New citizens are joined by family and friends to celebrate the culmination of years of hard work, and the opening of a new chapter in their lives. To steal this moment away from anyone, as a “punishment” for actions they had no part in, is cruel and unfair.
Discrimination against individuals based on their country of origin undermines the values and promise of opportunity that define our nation. Since our organization’s founding in 1910, there have been many times when nativism and xenophobia threatened to upend our American traditions. These efforts failed because the people would not allow it. We urge our neighbors and our elected leaders to speak forcefully in support of the worthy individuals that seek to become United States citizens, and against the unjust policies blocking their path to completing that goal.
Diann Slavit Baylis, Trenton Carls, Kate Criscitiello, Gina Flynn, Regina Zaragoza Frey, Cheri Grishin, Chris Hale, Stephen Immerman, Alison McCarthy, Elizabeth McKeigue, José Nieto, Paula Occhino, Peter Pitman, Michael Selbst, Thomas Piñeros Shields, & Kurt Steinberg. Board of Trustees, The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association.