ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Monroe County recently resumed hosting naturalization ceremonies after a pause by the federal government in November. News10NBC’s Erin Mahon followed up with the county and U.S. Customs and Immigration Services to clarify the situation.
The county welcomed 18 new citizens Tuesday morning, some of whom waited more than 20 years for this moment. Cecilia Cabarcos, a new citizen, said, “Some kind of freedom, I will say. And of course very happy.”
Patricia Maranda-Soto, another new citizen, expressed her joy, saying, “My family is not here, but they’re happy because I’m in this position. For a long, long time—since I was little, I’ve put all my effort into English and coming to this country.”
For a few months, the federal government halted the ceremonies, County Clerk Jamie Romeo said. “It seemed like this was a different interpretation of some existing statutes that actually came not from our local offices, but something from down in DC,” said Romeo.
Romeo explained that the law itself did not change, but the federal government’s interpretation did. “And to suddenly have a redefinition of county clerks being able to provide these naturalizations was very, out of the ordinary,” she said.
When asked if this issue could arise again, Romeo said, “Based on the things we’ve seen this federal administration do, I never put it past them, no.”
Romeo emphasized the importance of counties hosting their own ceremonies for accessibility. If halted again, people would have to drive to federal offices in Buffalo or Syracuse, which may not be feasible for everyone.
News10NBC reached out to USCIS for clarification on the statute used to interpret the county clerk’s ability to perform ceremonies and whether this could change in the future. A response is still pending.
Federal interpretation change paused Monroe County naturalization ceremonies WHEC.com.
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