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The final step in the long process of becoming a United States citizen is to take the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony. But across upstate New York, hundreds of would-be Americans have been left in limbo after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services indefinitely canceled ceremonies in at least seven counties, according to county clerks who spoke with the Times Union.

Clerks in Westchester, Rockland, Schenectady, Washington, Broome, Tompkins and Onondaga counties are among those who got emails from USCIS canceling naturalization ceremonies. Most of the notices were sent after the end of the government shutdown, which had already postponed many events.

"All candidates scheduled to take the Naturalization Oath will be notified individually and provided with information regarding rescheduling," several of the emails stated. "Furthermore, there will be no more upstate ceremon(ies) moving forward."

Copies of the emails, sent by USCIS employees in the agency's New York City, Albany and Syracuse field offices, included no clear explanation for the decision. USCIS, part of the Department of Homeland Security, did not respond to the Times Union's questions.

Sudden, sweeping cancellations

Westchester County Clerk Timothy Idoni said USCIS had already called off ceremonies scheduled for August and October when the agency informed him the county's Nov. 12 ceremony would also not happen. The county has held naturalization ceremonies for more than 40 years, typically swearing in about 100 new Americans at each one.

"It's a feel-good ceremony, almost like a college graduation. Everybody loves it," Idoni said. "When they canceled the previous ceremonies, I got a feeling that something was up."

In Schenectady County, Clerk Cara Ackerley said her office was told that "all future naturalizations were canceled until further notice," including an October ceremony that had been planned as the last of the year.

"We're waiting to see what will happen with 2026," she said.

Tompkins County officials said they were notified Thursday that their May 2026 ceremony was canceled, while Onondaga County's events were halted starting Nov. 19 due to unspecified "unforeseen circumstances," according to an email shared with the Times Union.

Onondaga County Clerk Emily Essi Bersani said the county typically holds four ceremonies a year, each welcoming 25 to 45 new citizens.

Washington County Clerk Lisa Boyce said her office received a similar notice late last month, canceling the county's Nov. 14 ceremony, which was expected to swear in 25 people.

Rockland County's Dec. 5 ceremony was also scrapped, prompting Clerk Donna Silberman to seek help from U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, as did Putnam County Clerk Michael Bartolotti. Putnam's Dec. 3 ceremony remains scheduled, for now.

In a letter sent Friday morning to USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow, Lawler urged the agency to reverse its "deeply concerning" decision. Lawler has frequently spoken about the challenges his wife, who is from Moldova, faced while navigating the U.S. immigration system on her way to citizenship.

"These ceremonies are emotional and one of the most patriotic expressions I've seen in our public systems," Lawler wrote. "The individuals participating truly believe in the American Dream, and they have waited their whole lives to become a citizen of our great nation. We owe it to these new Americans not to pull the rug out from under them."

One notable exception was in Monroe County, where Clerk Jamie Romeo said USCIS confirmed Friday that two upcoming ceremonies, on Dec. 16 and Jan. 20, will proceed.

"We're still hoping that holds true, given what we've been hearing that's been happening in our peer counties," Romeo said.

Broader policy shifts

The cancellations come on the heels of several other quiet policy changes by USCIS affecting new Americans.

In September, the agency ended its longstanding practice of reimbursing New York county clerks for administering the Oath of Allegiance. Weeks earlier, it had barred nongovernmental organizations from registering voters at naturalization ceremonies - a move some election officials and voter rights groups said would undermine access to the ballot for new citizens.

Locally hosted ceremonies date back to at least the 1760s in parts of upstate New York. Judicial ceremonies are performed by judges, while USCIS oversees administrative ceremonies and often delegates duties to county clerks.

Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck said local ceremonies save time and money for new citizens who might otherwise have to travel long distances to the nearest USCIS field office. Many clerks consider the ceremonies among the most meaningful parts of their job.

"It's an educational opportunity. It's an inspirational event," Bruck said. "The local community gets to celebrate the fact that you've finished this long, difficult, expensive process."

Bruck said USCIS has not confirmed whether Ulster County's Dec. 12 ceremony can move forward, but his office plans to mark the day in some fashion regardless.

"To me, immigration is America - the one thing that made this country different and great," Bruck said. "We should be trying to make it as easy as possible for folks to be naturalized, because to me, that is the most American thing that we can do. I'm hopeful that USCIS reverses its decision."

This is not the first time that naturalization ceremonies have been canceled locally: the federal government halted them in 1992 due to budget cuts, forcing new citizens to take the oath at federal offices. They were reinstated statewide in 2008 to help with the backlog of people waiting to be naturalized.

https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/upstate-naturalization-ceremonies-canceled-uscis-21180365.php?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=yahoo_syndication