Citizenship Requests Surge Amid Trump’s Immigration Moves

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KGO) — Interest in U.S. citizenship classes has surged since President Donald Trump began his crackdown on immigration policies. Glen Olson, the program manager at the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA), reported a twofold increase in inquiries about citizenship classes in the first half of 2025.

The IIBA offers services in English and Spanish across various locations including San Francisco, Redwood City, Napa, and Petaluma. It is important to note that only legal permanent residents are eligible to apply for citizenship.

Victoria Cecilia Perez, who has been eligible to apply for citizenship for eight years, only felt the urgency to do so this year. She stated, “They can take away your residency, but you can’t lose your citizenship.” The $760 application fee remains a barrier for many, especially those with family commitments.

Rafael Belmonte Navarrete applied for citizenship after facing heightened scrutiny from immigration agents upon returning from Mexico. He said, “They told me that if you don’t want those kind of issues, just become a citizen, and we will just say ‘Welcome home.’”

Recent changes to the citizenship test have made it more difficult. On October 20, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) increased the civics questions from 120 to 128 and doubled the number of test questions from 10 to 20. Applicants now must answer at least 12 correctly to pass.

Olson explained that the revised questions are more complex and require deeper historical and governmental knowledge, presenting an added challenge for English learners. To address this, IIBA conducts mock interviews to help applicants build confidence.

“My job is to give them confidence, really try to calm them down a bit and make sure they perform really well and know that they are capable of being a citizen,” said Jared Ginn, a volunteer who has assisted with the mock interviews.

Experts advise immigrants to seek legal consultation before they apply for naturalization, despite the recent reinstatement of a policy allowing USCIS to conduct neighbor interviews about applicants. Ellen Dumesnil, IIBA executive director, said this adds another layer of concern for applicants.

The Trump administration has also cut a $150,000 grant intended for the IIBA to support legal services for naturalization applications. Dumesnil noted this action underscores the ongoing barriers the administration is putting in place to deter legal residents from seeking citizenship.

In 2024, about 818,500 individuals took the oath of U.S. citizenship, with more than 8 million lawful permanent residents estimated to be eligible. However, large naturalization ceremonies have been canceled, with ceremonies now taking place at immigration offices, often on the same day as the citizenship test.