ITHACA, N.Y. — Tompkins County officials received a directive from federal immigration officials to cease all local naturalization ceremonies.
Naturalization ceremonies are typically held throughout the year in Tompkins County to celebrate immigrants who have become U.S. citizens, as are similar ceremonies around New York State to welcome new international members of the community. The ceremony, which is mandatory, marks the final step of the naturalization process for immigrants to the United States.
According to Tompkins County Executive Deputy Clerk Rachel Graham, an email from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Thursday canceled “all local Tompkins County scheduled naturalization ceremonies” and announced that none would be held “until further notice.”
Graham said no reasoning had been given in the letter. The message, reviewed by The Ithaca Voice, referred to the government shutdown as a potential factor in the decision to cancel “all future state ceremonies” — though the letters were sent after the government reopened.
Graham said she heard from clerks in other counties in New York who had recently received similar messages. It is unclear how widespread the directive is or if the new guidance applies beyond New York. It does not appear that the cancellation of the ceremonies will impact the actual naturalization process for immigrants looking to become citizens.
The Albany Times Union reported Tuesday that clerks from at least seven other New York counties were sent similar notices last week.
According to Graham, three ceremonies were tentatively scheduled for next year already, which have now been canceled. There were no more scheduled this year in Tompkins County.
“The Tompkins County Clerk’s Office has been notified by USCIS that all local Tompkins County scheduled naturalization ceremonies have been canceled and there will be none scheduled until further notice,” Graham said in the announcement.
Graham lamented the situation.
“This role that County Clerks have historically served has been one of the most important and fulfilling of our offices and we are heartbroken by this update,” Graham said.
It is unclear how the ceremonies will be handled going forward. Graham said the loca ceremonies had been canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic, so the requisite Oaths of Allegiance, one of the final steps to citizenship, were taken in USCIS offices, one of which is located in Syracuse.
Tompkins County’s first naturalization ceremony since the start of the pandemic took place on July 10, 2024. Two were held already this year, in May and July, with more planned for 2026.
The ceremonies typically include between 20 and 30 people taking the U.S. Citizenship Oath of Allegiance, Graham said. The ceremonies aren’t possible without the involvement of USCIS, since the clerk’s office mainly serves as host and coordinator of the ceremony events.
“They handle all the paperwork, provide the certificates of naturalization, etc.,” Graham said. “We don’t even know who’s on our list to become citizens until just a few days before the ceremony.”
New York State Assemblymember Anna Kelles, who represents Tompkins County and part of Cortland County, said the decision is a pivot towards “federal administrative ceremonies” instead of the more traditional county-specific ceremonies. She was surprised by the news and was working to gather more information with other state and federal officials.
“The email received from USCIS frames this as fallout from the federal shutdown and ‘new guidance,’ and says the decision is beyond the control of both the local and field offices suggesting this is a national DHS-level directive, not a regional one,” Kelles said in a statement through a spokesperson.
Kelles said she is working with the offices of Governor Kathy Hochul and U.S. Senator Kristen Gillibrand to understand if the change is temporary or not.
Local organizations that work with the immigrant community were similarly taken aback. Ana Ortiz, who runs the community organization No Mas Lagrimas/No More Tears, said they are focusing on the need to bridge food security gaps for the holidays, with two events scheduled for food and toy drive drop-offs on Nov. 19 (10 a.m.-7 p.m.) and Nov. 20 (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) in the Henry Saint John building basement at 301 S. Geneva St.
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