New US Citizens Feel Pride and Unease Turning 250
Thousands of people took the oath of allegiance this June, joining a country turning 250 years old. Many of them describe the moment as the biggest relief of their lives, and also one of the most conflicted.
Naturalization ceremonies are being held at historic sites including Mount Vernon on July 4 as part of the nationwide America 250 celebration. The timing arrives just as the federal government is moving to make citizenship significantly more expensive to obtain.
What's Changing for Future Applicants
The Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule on June 23 that would raise the main naturalization filing fee, Form N-400, by 75% on paper, from $760 to $1,330, and by 80% online, from $710 to $1,280. A related appeal form fee would rise from $830 to $1,475.
The proposal would also eliminate the current $380 reduced-fee option for lower-income applicants and end income-based fee waivers entirely. Only active and former military members would remain exempt. DHS says the changes reflect a "full-cost, beneficiary-pays" model, arguing the agency shouldn't keep naturalization fees artificially low at the expense of other immigration benefit categories.
A 60-day public comment period runs through August 24, and current fees remain in effect until any final rule is issued. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, noted that for generations, the government deliberately kept fees low specifically to encourage green card holders to apply.
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Two Very Different Journeys to the Same Oath
Yesica McKeone, 32, left Michoacán, Mexico, with her family at age two and became a naturalized citizen in June. Now a mother of two settled in California's central coast, she described the moment plainly: "I'm finally here."
Kwan "Dawn" Tang, also 32 and born in Hong Kong, took the oath after nearly a decade in the US as a student and permanent resident. Frequent extra airport screenings during trips home pushed him toward citizenship. "At some point, I just wanted to get it over with and leave," he said of the ceremony itself, describing a kind of double-consciousness that followed his moment of achievement.
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A Longer History of Who Counts as American
The first US naturalization law, passed in 1790, limited citizenship to "free white persons." Congress began building a restrictive national-origins quota system in the 1920s that narrowed immigration from much of the world, a system that stood until the 1965 Hart-Celler Act dismantled it and opened the door to more diverse immigration.
Compared with countries like Qatar and Kuwait, where citizenship is nearly unattainable for immigrants, the US retains a comparatively accessible naturalization process, according to Irene Bloemraad, a political science and sociology professor at the University of British Columbia. "The United States is remarkable in saying: 'Come here. Spend some time here. Learn a little bit about us, and then you can become one of us,'" she said.
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A Tougher Process Even Before the Fee Hike
Applicants have faced a tougher civics test since October. USCIS has also resumed neighborhood checks, a long-dormant practice of interviewing an applicant's neighbors and coworkers, and increased scrutiny of the "good moral character" requirement.
Dahni Tsuboi, chief executive of a Los Angeles nonprofit that runs citizenship application workshops, said fear is now shaping who even starts the process. "It's survival," she said of why some eligible immigrants pursue citizenship despite the barriers, while others she's counseled have chosen not to move forward at all, citing cost and fear amid a broader wave of immigration arrests, including of some permanent residents and citizens.
"Here we are celebrating our democracy while at the same time proposing a formal act that would make joining our democracy financially inaccessible for the most vulnerable people," Tsuboi said.
A Historical Echo, With a Key Difference
Rogers Smith, emeritus professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, said the current period resembles the restrictive 1920s more than any point since. He noted an important distinction: today's changes have largely come through executive action rather than congressional legislation, meaning they may not reflect a durable national consensus.
"We are a country that right now is sending signals that Americans are putting America first," Smith said, "and not being as welcoming as in the past."
Celebrating Anyway
Despite the uncertainty, both McKeone and Tang plan to mark the Fourth of July around their citizenship milestones. Tang is hosting a citizenship-themed party in a park, complete with stars-and-stripes decorations and a trivia game built from the same civics questions he had to master for his own test.
For McKeone, the pride remains real even alongside the unease. "You see around you people constantly being pushed out," she said. "It's just weird times."
TL;DR
- Thousands of immigrants took the naturalization oath this June ahead of America's 250th anniversary
- DHS has proposed raising the main citizenship filing fee by 75-80%, to as much as $1,330
- The proposal would also eliminate income-based fee waivers, with a public comment period through August 24
- Applicants already face a tougher civics test and resumed neighborhood background checks
- New citizens describe feeling both genuine pride and real unease about the country's current direction
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World News Correspondent
Rachel Hayes reports on international affairs, geopolitics, and breaking world news. Based in London, she covers stories shaping the UK and global political landscape.
