Over 50 House Democrats are urging President Trump to reinstate a citizenship initiative that was discontinued last month.
A total of 54 Democrats, spearheaded by Rep. Jimmy Gomez (California), are pushing for the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services), a division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to reinstate the citizenship and assimilation grant program that was halted in late March.
“We urge immediate measures to revive funding for the C&A program and prompt clarification regarding the reasoning and legal grounds for its cessation. This decision has represented a substantial escalation since it was announced on February 4th, 2025, just a few weeks ago.”
USCIS has been contacted for comments.
Established in 2009, the Citizenship and Assimilation Grant program finances nonprofit organizations nationwide that assist eligible permanent residents on their path to naturalization. These groups offer resources including application assistance and guidance for prospective US citizens, aiding individuals in their quest to become US citizens.
“The abrupt and unexplained choice to terminate legally awarded grants supported by Congressional Budget without advance notice to Congress or impacted grantees poses significant concerns regarding due process, legal authority, and the department’s commitment to advancing naturalization services for those pursuing citizenship,” the legislator stated in a letter addressed to Scott. Who was appointed as the acting director of USCIS in February.
The program’s funding was frozen in early February. In response, Democrats called on USCIS to restore the funds; in a March 7th letter, they noted that the program’s savings on USCIS resources “were instead utilized to address errors, issue evidence requests, or reprocess applications.” Democrats indicated that they had not received a reply to the March correspondence.
The legislator mentioned that grantees were informed of the program’s shutdown on March 27th. In a letter sent Thursday, they requested Scott to provide justification that the citizenship and assimilation grant programs must substantiate the claim that they “no longer fulfill the program’s objectives or DHS priorities.”
“The abrupt termination of long-standing and effective grant programs, implemented without explanation or consultation, heightens serious worries regarding governance, oversight, and public trust,” Democrats expressed in their letter.
In addition to Gomez, the letter was signed by representatives such as Del Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and fellow Democrats Gil Cisneros (California), Lu Correa (California), Jasmine Rockett (Texas), Jason Crow (Colorado), Danny Davis (Illinois), Madeleine Dean (Pennsylvania), Diana Degate (Colorado), Veronica Escobar (Texas), Edriano Esca (NY), Garcia (Illinois), Silvia Garcia (Texas), Dan Goldman (New York), Pramila Jayapal (Washington), Hank Johnson (Georgia), Raja Krishnamoorthi (Illinois), John Larson (Connecticut), Zoe Lofgren (California), Grace Meng (NY), Dave Min (California), Seth Moulton (Massachusetts), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Frank Pallone Jr. (New Jersey), Cherry Pingley (Maine), Mark Pocan (Wisconsin), Mary Gay Scanlon (Pa.), Jan Schakowsky (Ill.), Terri Sewell (Ala.), Adam Smith (Wash.), Darren Soto (Fla.), Dina Titus (Nev.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), Paul Tonko (NY), and Norma Torres (California).
