Immigration report finds citizenship oaths delayed

By ANABELLE GARAY Associated Press Writer © 2008 The Associated Press
Dec. 17, 2008, 2:31PM

DALLAS — A court prevented nearly 2,000 people from taking the oath of U.S. citizenship in time to register to vote in the November elections, a new report released Wednesday said.

A study by the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman in Washington contends the court refused to schedule additional swearing-in ceremonies to accomodate the large number of naturalization applicants. As a result, 1,951 people did not receive the oath in time to register to vote.

"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," CIS Ombudsman Michael Dougherty said in a statement.

The CIS Ombudsman, an independent office within the Department of Homeland Security, decided to not identify the court, said DHS spokeswoman Amy Kudwa.

"The office believes that working the matter privatey better assists individuals seeking naturalization in the future," she said.

The ombudsman said officials from the local U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services district office had explained they were "willing to quickly plan additional ceremonies with the court." But the court told the district director it had already "done more than its share." When the district director suggested USCIS be allowed to hold administrative ceremonies, the court "vehemently refused," according to the report. USCIS provided the information to the ombudsman

A lawful permanent resident, known as a green card holder, whose naturalization application is approved by USCIS must take the oath of allegiance to become a U.S. citizen. Federal district courts hold the authority to administer the oath. USCIS can administer the oath in an administrative ceremony if a court has not acted within 45 days of the citizenship application's approval or in jurisdictions where courts do not assert such authority.

USCIS officials are reviewing the report, which includes recommendations on naturalization oath ceremonies, said USCIS spokeswoman Chris Rhatigan.

"The CIS Ombudsman, USCIS and the courts have the same goal to maintain the solemnity and dignity of the naturalization oath ceremonies. This report is yet another vehicle we will use as we strive to improve the naturalization process," she said in a statement.

USCIS faced criticism from lawmakers, immigrants and advocates after announcing that naturalization applications received after June 2007 would take more than a year to process, preventing thousands of people from becoming U.S. citizens in time to vote in this year's elections.

The agency naturalized more than a million people in fiscal 2008, the ombudsman found.

Late in the fiscal year, the agency reported some 475,000 naturalization applications were pending for more than nine months, another 192,000 more than 18 months and 118,000 more than 24 months, according to the study.

The citizenship applicants highlighted in the report were scheduled for court ceremonies in November 2008.

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