Newly released data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shows that 2025 was marked by dramatic fluctuations in naturalization applications and approvals, with the number of people approved to become U.S. citizens dropping sharply by year's end.

Immigration experts say the trends reflect how President Trump's restrictive immigration policies, increased deportation efforts and heightened scrutiny have affected immigrants at the final stage of their legal journey. While 2025 began with high rates of citizenship applications submitted and decided, by the end of the year fewer immigrants were applying to become citizens — and even fewer were being granted citizenship.

What the Left Is Saying

Immigration experts and advocates say the declining numbers reflect fear among immigrant communities and a deliberate effort by the administration to make naturalization more difficult.

"The fear is pretty pervasive," said Felicia Escobar Carrillo, former USCIS chief of staff under the Biden administration. "I think that people are just going to think twice about whether to apply."

Margy O'Herron, a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, said the data shows the administration is attempting to define who is American. "What we see from this administration, just at a very high level, is an effort to define who is an American. Giving somebody citizenship is granting somebody status as an American. There's an effort to control that."

Nicole Melaku, executive director of the National Partnership for New Americans, said the administration's messaging encourages immigrants to pursue status legally — but the declining naturalization numbers tell a different story. "We are beginning to see the manifestation of data that proves that this administration is slow-walking or even denying the opportunity for these people."

Gianina Horton, a city council member in Aurora, Colo., said many immigrants eligible for naturalization are choosing not to go through the process. "There is an understanding that we're in a political climate where it is unsafe for a lot of immigrants to engage with federal agencies. Whether that is true or perceived, it is still a huge influential factor," she said.

O'Herron added that the unpredictability creates fear. "What we see this administration doing is targeting even people who have followed all the rules. The administration is changing the rules on those folks. That unpredictability creates a real sense of fear."

What the Right Is Saying

The Trump administration says its policies are designed to ensure the integrity of the naturalization process and protect American workers.

"USCIS has taken an 'America First' approach, restoring order, security, integrity, and accountability to America's immigration system, ensuring that it serves the nation's interests and protects and prioritizes Americans over foreign nationals," USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said in a statement.

USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser said the agency is implementing additional screening and vetting processes. "This includes reimplementing the 2020 naturalization civics test for 2025, strengthened English language requirements, screening social media for anti-American activities, and restoring neighborhood investigations to ensure applicants demonstrate good moral character and an attachment to the Constitution," he said. "USCIS will not take shortcuts in the adjudications process."

The administration paused processing citizenship applications for people from 39 countries and those with travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority following a shooting in Washington, D.C., where an Afghan national was accused of killing a National Guard member.

What the Numbers Show

The data reveals dramatic swings throughout 2025. During the first few months of Trump's second term, approvals reached record highs: 88,488 applications were approved in one month at the peak of 2025 — the largest number since USCIS began tracking month-by-month data in 2022.

By January 2026, that number had dropped to 32,862 — the lowest since tracking began.

Applications followed a similar pattern. At the peak in October 2025, 169,159 people applied to naturalize — a four-year record. The very next month, only 41,478 people applied, the lowest of the year.

Overall processing completions (approvals and denials combined) plummeted from 78,379 in September 2025 to 37,832 by January 2026.

From February through April 2025, 270,290 people applied to become U.S. citizens — driven in part by immigrants seeking citizenship before potential policy changes.

In December 2025, 42,569 people applied; by January 2026, that number rose slightly to 46,385 — still nearly 50% drop from the prior year.

The Bottom Line

The volatility in naturalization numbers reflects a fundamental shift in how immigrants perceive the U.S. immigration system under the Trump administration. Those who applied early in 2025 did so seeking security amid promises of mass deportations, while those now declining to apply cite fear of engaging with federal agencies.

USCIS has introduced more stringent vetting, including neighborhood investigations and enhanced social media screening. These changes have slowed processing times significantly, with completions dropping by more than half from September 2025 to January 2026.

The administration paused processing for applicants from certain countries following a terrorist-related shooting in Washington, D.C., further reducing the pool of people being approved for citizenship. Experts say this combination of policy changes, perceived risk and processing delays is likely to keep naturalization numbers low for the foreseeable future.