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Bloomberg News columnists Andrew Kreighbaum and Ximena Bustillo have published a piece that draws attention to a recent shift in U.S. citizenship adjudication. According to the authors, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now scrutinizing the tax records of immigrants more closely, and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is denying citizenship to applicants who have used IRS payment plans or requested extensions for filing their tax returns. Kreighbaum and Bustillo argue that this represents a “radical change” from prior practice. Previously, an applicant’s willingness to pay taxes—even through a payment plan—was considered a positive factor in meeting USCIS’s “good moral character” standard. The authors note that the new policy turns such circumstances into an obstacle for naturalization applicants, a development that coincides with a sharp decline in naturalization rates during the second term of President Donald Trump’s administration. The policy shift is said to apply even when there is no tax-related indictment or conviction. Sarah Krieger, a policy advisor at the National Immigration Law Center, said the immigration system had previously “rewarded” individuals for participating in the tax system. “Treating the fact that applicants have payment plans as a negative factor would violate both law and recent policy,” Krieger said. The column cites a case in which a married client was denied naturalization because her U.S. citizen spouse had an IRS payment plan. The client’s case was denied despite a memorandum stating that such agreements should not be considered adverse factors. Kreighbaum and Bustillo suggest that the new policy could close the door to citizenship for many otherwise law‑abiding immigrants who are unable to pay their tax debts in full but are using payment plans to meet their obligations. They also note that many lawful permanent residents and naturalized citizens had previously believed that enforcement actions were limited to those who entered the country at the border, and that the new policy could extend scrutiny to a broader group of immigrants. The authors anticipate that attorneys will appeal these denials and that the appeals may be successful, given the large backlog of cases and the potential for the policy to be challenged. They call on elected officials to scrutinize the new measure and consider its impact on the immigrant community. Article source: El Nuevo Diario | Image credit: El Nuevo Diario
Bloomberg News columnists Andrew Kreighbaum and Ximena Bustillo have published a piece that draws attention to a recent shift in U.S. citizenship adjudication. According to the authors, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now scrutinizing the tax records of immigrants more closely, and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is denying citizenship to applicants who have used IRS payment plans or requested extensions for filing their tax returns. Kreighbaum and Bustillo argue that this represents a “radical change” from prior practice. Previously, an applicant’s willingness to pay taxes—even through a payment plan—was considered a positive factor in meeting USCIS’s “good moral character” standard. The authors note that the new policy turns such circumstances into an obstacle for naturalization applicants, a development that coincides with a sharp decline in naturalization rates during the second term of President Donald Trump’s administration. The policy shift is said to apply even when there is no tax-related indictment or conviction. Sarah Krieger, a policy advisor at the National Immigration Law Center, said the immigration system had previously “rewarded” individuals for participating in the tax system. “Treating the fact that applicants have payment plans as a negative factor would violate both law and recent policy,” Krieger said. The column cites a case in which a married client was denied naturalization because her U.S. citizen spouse had an IRS payment plan. The client’s case was denied despite a memorandum stating that such agreements should not be considered adverse factors. Kreighbaum and Bustillo suggest that the new policy could close the door to citizenship for many otherwise law‑abiding immigrants who are unable to pay their tax debts in full but are using payment plans to meet their obligations. They also note that many lawful permanent residents and naturalized citizens had previously believed that enforcement actions were limited to those who entered the country at the border, and that the new policy could extend scrutiny to a broader group of immigrants. The authors anticipate that attorneys will appeal these denials and that the appeals may be successful, given the large backlog of cases and the potential for the policy to be challenged. They call on elected officials to scrutinize the new measure and consider its impact on the immigrant community.
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