SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A San Diego woman, originally from Afghanistan, had her U.S. citizenship ceremony canceled just days before she was scheduled to take her oath, according to her immigration attorney.
San Diego-based attorney Habib Hasbini says the 59-year-old woman, who worked with the U.S. military during the war in Afghanistan and came to the United States on a special immigrant visa about eight years ago, received a cancellation letter Tuesday from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Hasbini said his client was "one inch away from being an American citizen" when the ceremony was canceled. The woman had already been approved for citizenship and was scheduled for her oath ceremony on December 17.
"Two-line letter, very generic, very generic, no explanation. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we decided to cancel your scheduled ceremony," Hasbini said, describing the document from USCIS.
Hasbini believes the cancellation is directly related to President Trump's recent announcement of extra vetting for people from 19 specific countries following an attack on two National Guard service members in Washington, D.C.
At a rally in Pennsylvania Tuesday, Trump said he announced "a permanent pause on third world migration, including from hell holes like Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia, and many other countries."
The woman's path to citizenship has been lengthy. Her attorney says she obtained a green card after arriving in the U.S., applied for citizenship, and was approved. She was medically exempt from taking the civics test. Her original oath ceremony in November was delayed after she was hospitalized, prompting the rescheduling to December 17th.
"You can't work with the US government absent rigorous screening before you can qualify to become so, to work so closely with the US government and in a classified position," Hasbini said, emphasizing his client's previous service.
ABC 10News reached out to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and they sent us the following statement:
“USCIS has paused all adjudications for aliens from high-risk countries while USCIS works to ensure that all aliens from these countries are vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. The pause will allow for a comprehensive examination of all pending benefit requests for aliens from the designated high-risk countries. The safety of the American people always comes first.”
Hasbini said his client has already spent thousands of dollars in her quest to become a U.S. citizen. He expects she will undergo additional vetting and hopes her oath ceremony will be rescheduled soon.
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