As people made their way into the Indianapolis Union Station for a naturalization ceremony, federal officials stopped certain applicants and told them that they wouldn't be leaving the building with U.S. citizenship.

The immigrants — who had already passed every step in the long naturalization process — needed only to take the oath of allegiance Dec. 9, 2025, to become citizens. A federal directive handed down by U.S. Immigration and Customs Services on Dec. 2 , however, made that impossible for more than one third of people signed up for the Indianapolis ceremony.

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