KTRH Local Houston and Texas News

KTRH Local Houston and Texas News

KTRH-AM covering local news from Houston and across Texas.

 

Should The Citizenship Test Be Stricter?

Unrecognizeable person holds exam

Photo: iStockphoto

It looks like President Trump has managed to significantly reduce illegal crossings at the southern border, at least for now. Now, in an effort to further control immigration, mass deportations are underway, and some inside the Trump Administration are even suggesting a closer look at our citizenship testing.

The suggestion came from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow, who was speaking at a Center for Immigration Studies event and said, "We're looking for attachment to the Constitution. We're looking for an understanding of the civic responsibility of being a U.S. citizen."

This comes as concerns have grown that some who don't deserve citizenship are still managing to maintain it. Lora Ries with the Heritage Foundation elaborated on those concerns, saying, "The standards have really been watered down, and I think we're seeing the results of that. Becoming a citizen needs to mean something; it needs to be important."

Ries pointed out specific examples of members of Congress that highlight this concern, saying, "Whether it's Ilhan Omar (D-MN) or Delia Ramirez (D-IL), a representative from Chicago who was down in Guatemala and said Guatemala is her first country of loyalty, I mean, she's a United States Representative!"

She went on to call for a naturalization process that weeds out and denies citizenship to those who aren't interested in becoming loyal to both the United States and their fellow citizens. She also said that, for safety reasons, the United States citizenship test should require proficiency in English.

Right now, those seeking citizenship are only required to read and write one sentence in English and can even take the test in foreign languages.


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