Trump admin cancels several New York judicial citizenship ceremonies over unmet legal requirements

The Trump administration has canceled several New York judicial citizenship ceremonies over unmet legal requirements and will no longer let county courts or state supreme court justices preside over them.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is "dedicated to ensuring that all aspects of the naturalization process comply with federal law," agency spokesperson Matthew Tragesser told TV station WSYR on Wednesday.

“After reviewing the jurisdiction of certain New York County courts under the Immigration and Nationality Act, we have determined that these courts do not meet the statutory requirements to conduct naturalization ceremonies," he said. \

As a result, the agency will USCIS move to administrative ceremonies from judicial ones to "ensure compliance with the law," he also said.

"Aliens scheduled for ceremonies at the courts will be rescheduled and their naturalization process will continue.

Onondaga County Clerk Emily Bersani said that the citizenship ceremony she had planned for Wednesday was canceled without specific reasoning. 

Bersani also said she hasn’t been informed about the status of ceremonies that are planned for 2026, including the annual New Americans Day event at the New York State Fair.

Generally, a judge presides over New York ceremonies in a courthouse, while USCIS conducts administrative ceremonies in regional offices.

The federal court’s Northern District of New York has multiple scheduled ceremonies still listed on its website, and a district spokesperson said Wednesday that the ceremonies were still being planned.

In a letter to USCIS Director Joseph Edlow, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) demanded answers regarding the ceremony cancellations, which she said were reported in Broome, Onondaga, Rockland, Schenectady, Tompkins, Washington, and Westchester counties. She added that the cancellations had raised concerns among both Democratic and Republican state officials.