Progress Illinois

We’re not sure what to make of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USICS) ombudsman Michael Dougherty’s recent finding (PDF) that many immigrants who had gone through the arduous naturalization process this year were denied the citizenship oath in time to participate in the November election.

He found that in one of four cities where judges have exclusive authority to call the hearings, court officials reported that they weren’t given enough time to conduct the oaths in the days preceding the election. (Dougherty wouldn’t say which city, but Chicago is one of the four.) The result?  Nearly 2,000 new citizens were denied the right to vote.

“It’s hard to tell what the motivation is,” Fred Tsao of the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) told us yesterday. “It’s really infuriating that people would be denied the right to vote … particularly at the end of such a long process.”

Regardless of the reason, Dougherty wants USICS to put the judges on notice that they can’t delay or call off the ceremonies because they aren’t convenient, particularly when voting is at stake.  From the Washington Post:

"Courts that choose to assert exclusive authority to naturalize new citizens should also embrace a customer service ethic that recognizes the singular importance of oath ceremonies," Dougherty said in a news release.

The report documents yet another example of the obstacles that face those seeking citizenship. Thankfully, immigrants remain determined to participate, as their enthusiasm at the polls last fall showed.

TAKE OUR ONE-MINUTE READER SURVEY