The Trump administration has announced plans to reinstate a tougher version of the U.S. naturalization civics test, a move critics say will make it harder for immigrants to become American citizens. The proposed changes, unveiled this week, mark another step in the administration’s wider campaign to tighten immigration policies.
Under the new guidelines, the civics test would expand from a pool of 100 questions to 128, significantly broadening the range of material applicants must study. In addition, test-takers would be required to correctly answer 12 out of 20 questions to pass. The current format requires six correct responses out of 10, making the proposed version more demanding both in scope and in passing threshold.
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the revision, describing it as a necessary measure to ensure that immigrants demonstrate a strong grasp of U.S. history, government, and the English language. “We are doing everything in our power to make sure that anyone who is offered the privilege of becoming an American citizen fulfills their obligation to their new country,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, emphasizing the administration’s focus on protecting what it calls “traditional American culture and values.”
The tougher exam is being presented as part of a “multi-step overhaul” of the citizenship process. Alongside the new test, the administration has pledged to ramp up deportations, enforce stricter vetting measures, and intensify monitoring of immigrants’ social media activity for signs of what it terms “anti-American ideologies or activities.”
Immigration advocates, however, have strongly criticized the move. They argue that the administration’s rhetoric about honoring the privileges of U.S. citizenship is undermined by the barriers it is erecting. “The Trump administration lauding the privileges of becoming a U.S. citizen — while making it harder to obtain it — rings hollow,” said Jennifer Ibañez Whitlock of the National Immigration Law Center, who warned that the new measures could discourage lawful immigrants from pursuing naturalization.
Critics also see the revised civics test as a thinly veiled ideological filter designed to restrict who can join the American family. They contend that many immigrants, particularly those with limited English proficiency or limited access to study resources, could struggle under the new format, further widening inequalities in the immigration system.
The debate reflects broader tensions around U.S. immigration policy. While Trump and his allies frame the reforms as essential to national security and cultural preservation, opponents view them as exclusionary tactics meant to shrink the immigrant population and redefine the standards of belonging in America.
As the administration moves forward with the rollout of the new test, questions remain over its long-term impact. Immigration experts warn that the tougher requirements could slow the rate of naturalizations, further politicize the citizenship process, and deepen divisions over the future of U.S. immigration policy.
