Lawful permanent residents are seeing their naturalization ceremonies abruptly canceled this month as the Trump administration puts an indefinite “hold” on immigration applications from certain countries.

The holds apply to green card and U.S. citizenship requests by people from 19 countries deemed “ high risk ” by the Trump administration. The list includes Cuba, Iran, Haiti and Somalia, among others.

Lawful permanent residents, or green card holders, are already among the most thoroughly vetted individuals in the nation’s immigration system. When they decide to naturalize, they undergo an even more comprehensive government review that includes background checks, interviews with immigration officers and a citizenship test.

The citizenship ceremony is the last step in a long proces

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