In this Sept. 18, 2018 photo new American citizens stand during a naturalization ceremony in Los Angeles. More than 700,000 immigrants are waiting on their applications to become U.S. citizens, a process that in many parts of the country now takes a year or more. The number of aspiring Americans surged during 2016, jumping 27 percent from a year ago as Donald Trump made cracking down on immigration a central point of his presidential campaign. (AP Photo/Amy Taxin)
LOS ANGELES – More than 700,000 immigrants are waiting on applications to become U.S. citizens, a process that once typically took about six months but has stretched to more than two years in some places.
The long wait times developed after President Donald Trump took office, and some immigrant advocates are asking whether the delays might be aimed at keeping anti-Trump voters from casting ballots in elections.
The number of immigrants aspiring to become citizens surged during 2016, as Trump campaigned on an immigration crackdown. At first, the federal government kept up with the applications, but then the wait grew.
Trump on Thursday tweeted that Central American migrants in a U.S.-bound caravan should return to home and apply for American citizenship if they wish.
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