The New Citizenship Test Is Still Useless
Even with Trump’s attempt to make it harder, the exam still requires a 60% passing grade and remains a poor measure of an applicant’s “Americanness."
What’s the real goal here?
Photographer: Robyn Beck/AFPThe Trump administration has been routinely targeting legal pathways to citizenship, including giving officials broader discretion to deny naturalization on vague grounds such as “anti-American” views and attempting to nullify birthright citizenship. So, it’s no surprise that the White House is now reinstating an expanded citizenship exam.
Those who submit applications on or after Oct. 20 must answer 12 of 20 civics questions correctly (up from six out of 10), drawn from a list of 128 (previously 100). Adding 28 questions without raising the 60% pass rate may not yield the sweeping change the administration wants, but the intent is unmistakable. The president wants to make it harder for immigrants to clear the final hurdle of the naturalization process.