Dozens denied oath of allegiance at Indianapolis naturalization ceremony

[Muda69]

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/2025/12/09/dozens-ready-to-take-us-oath-denied-final-step-to-citizenship-in-indianapolis/87688790007/?tbref=hp

Quote

As people made their way into the Indianapolis Union Station for a naturalization ceremony, federal officials stopped certain applicants and told them that they wouldn't be leaving the building with U.S. citizenship.

The immigrants — who had already passed every step in the long naturalization process — needed only to take the oath of allegiance Dec. 9, 2025, to become citizens. A federal directive handed down by U.S. Immigration and Customs Services on Dec. 2, however, made that impossible for more than one third of people signed up for the Indianapolis ceremony.

Zhibo Zhao, a US Citizenship and Immigration Services official present at the event, said oaths of allegiance for 38 of the 100 participants were "canceled."

Though travel bans and restrictions have been in place for 19 countries since June, US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced last week that the agency would immediately halt applications and asylum claims of people from all countries on the list: Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, the Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela and Yemen. The Trump administration deemed the countries "high risk" earlier this year.

Zhao said the 38 people were notified two weeks ago that their citizenship ceremonies had been "canceled," though the agency didn't announce plans to pause certain citizenship applications until Dec. 2.

Zhao doesn't know if these people now face deportation. When asked if their naturalization oaths would be rescheduled, he said "that is up to whoever's in charge in Washington."

"We just receive orders from the chain of command," Zhao said. "I was in the military. Everything we do here in the federal government is just like in the military. Follow the chain of command and so on."

Sixty-two people became citizens at the Dec. 9 ceremony, Zhao said.

Marion County Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell, whose office attends naturalization ceremonies to register new voters, issued a statement condemning the remaining applicants' dismissals.

"These prospective citizens worked incredibly hard to reach this milestone. They studied our history, learned our laws, and demonstrated their commitment to our country," Sweeney Bell wrote. "They arrived with their families, filled with pride and excitement, ready to take the oath of citizenship—only to have their dreams denied at the last minute by a racist policy from the federal government."

In an interview with FOX News' Laura Ingraham on Dec. 4, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the U.S. may expand travel restrictions to "over 30" countries. An internal state department cable obtained by the Washington Post in June showed the administration was weighing banning immigration from 36 countries.

This is asinine, and frankly stands against most everything this country was founded upon.  Why should these individuals be denied their dream of U.S. Citizenship just because of the country they were born in?   Where is the objective evidence that any of these 38 individuals may be terrorists or "enemies of the USA"?

"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

-- The New Colossus,  Emma Lazarus, 1883

 

 

[Muda69]

15 turned away this time: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2025/12/18/naturalization-ceremony-indianapolis-immigration-uscis-travel-ban-banned-high-risk-countries/87811430007/

Quote

Eighty-three people slowly shuffled along the walls of the Indiana War Memorial and Museum, waiting for an assistant of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to confirm their eligibility to take the oath of allegiance to the United States.

Many could be seen double-checking their documents before they made it to the sign-in desk to ensure they wouldn't run into any problems ahead of the Dec. 18 ceremony.

One by one, their documents were checked and they moved along. Except for four men, who were pulled aside and informed that their naturalization oaths had been "rescheduled" for a different date. About 15 people had their ceremonies "rescheduled" according to the Indiana Marion County Clerk's Office.

"It's out of our control," said a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services official, who refused to provide his name to IndyStar.

This comes almost a week after federal officials canceled the naturalization ceremony for 38 people, which was hosted at the Indianapolis Union Station on Dec. 9. A federal directive released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Services noted that people from "High-Risk Countries" would need to have their cases reviewed to "fully assess all national security and public safety threats."

 

The countries initially added to the banned list include: Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, The Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela and Yemen.

"We are a country that believes that all human beings are created equal and that our rights are endowed by God, and not a king, not a government, and not a president," a letter by U.S. Sen. Jim Banks read during the naturalization ceremony on Dec. 18 stated. "In America, it doesn't matter where you come from or what your family name may be. In America, given the opportunity and given the chance, you can succeed."

Thirty minutes before the Dec. 18 ceremony, one man, originally from Niger, was pulled aside and informed his ceremony had been rescheduled.

He didn't understand why he was being denied the opportunity to become a United States citizen, as he had double-checked his eligibility earlier in the week. He was in panic as his wife and daughter, who were dressed lavishly, waited for him outside the sign-in area.

Unbeknownst to him, President Donald Trump had released a proclamation on Dec. 16 that added 21 more countries to the United States ban or restriction of foreign visitors.

Niger was one of the six countries added to the list. The other five were Burkina Faso, Mali, South Sudan, Syria and travelers with documents issued by the Palestinian Authority.

His ceremony was scheduled two days too late.

"There are requirements people have to meet in order to become citizens, including that they need to know about our history and be vetted by multiple federal agencies to make sure they are not someone who is planning to harm our country and they have passed all of the tests," said Marion County Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell. "This is the final step to become a naturalized citizen, but these people were not given any information (about a reschedule) other than that their ceremony was canceled."

Bell shared how heartbreaking it was to witness these four men being turned away on a day that was meant to be full of celebration.

"Seeing this makes me sick to my stomach," Bell said.

It's unclear if or when these men's ceremonies will be rescheduled, according to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services officials and Bell.

 

This United States Citizenship and Immigration Services official is a coward.   And such policies are un-American at their core.   Shouldn't we be judging these people solely by the content of their character and not where they came from?

 

[Muda69]

Now it appears ISP and local LE are helping ICE in detaining and imprisoning "big scary illegal immigrants": https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2025/12/24/indianapolis-man-believes-ice-wrongfully-detained-his-husband-eliazar-sanchez-ayala-isaac-reeves/87824483007/?tbref=hp

Quote

Eliazar Sanchez-Ayala, 41, told his husband that he never expected he would be celebrating Christmas inside an immigration detention center almost 100 miles away from his family.

During the first week of December, he and his husband, Isaac Reeves, spent several days decorating their westside home, lining the windows with snowflake garlands, placing dog-themed decorations on the lawn and filling their white Christmas tree with silver and blue ornaments. They were expecting to spend a quiet Christmas next to the fireplace with each other.

That abruptly changed on Dec. 9 after Sanchez-Ayala was stopped by an Indiana State Police trooper.

He was driving home from a warehouse job orientation on Interstate 70 when he saw red and blue lights flash on behind him. He didn’t understand what he had done to draw the attention of the trooper, but he pulled over and texted his husband about the situation.

“I wasn’t worried. His (driver’s) license was valid until 2030,” Reeves said. “I thought he was just going to get a ticket. That’s when he texts me saying that ‘They’re taking me’.”

Although Sanchez-Ayala entered the country illegally at 16 with his family in 1999, he'd since obtained a valid work permit, driver's license, social security number and maintained a relatively clear criminal record. IndyStar reviewed these documents.

The only blemishes that appeared next to his name in online court records for Indiana — where he's lived since at least 2007 — were two speeding tickets. One was dated Dec. 16, 2007, and the second was from July 1, 2016. Both tickets were paid and resolved, according to court records.

Sanchez-Ayala's name did not appear in the federal government's online court records system and there is no method to check if he's been affiliated with a crime on a nationwide scale. Immigrations officials have not responded to IndyStar inquiries into the situation.

Reeves believed that since Sanchez-Ayala had been approved by the federal government to legally work in the country, he would be safe from an unexpected deportation, despite President Donald Trump escalating immigration enforcement operations.

Reeves said police took Sanchez-Ayala into custody shortly before noon Dec. 9 along I-70 in Plainfield, which is about a 20-minute drive from Indianapolis.

An Indiana State Police Trooper stopped Sanchez-Ayala for allegedly speeding, according to John Perrine, Indiana State Police Department Public Information Officer for Marion County. Shortly after the stop, federal immigration enforcement agents arrived on scene and detained Sanchez-Ayala.

It’s unclear why federal agents decided to detain him. United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials did not respond to emails or phone calls from IndyStar seeking more information about Sanchez-Ayala's detainment.

Marion County Jail records show that Sanchez-Ayala was booked into the facility on Dec. 9, 2025, but it did not provide any additional booking information or the alleged crime he committed to warrant his arrest.

IndyStar asked ISP if the responding trooper called federal agents to assist with the arrest of Sanchez-Ayala, or if federal agents had independently learned about the traffic stop and conducted the arrest. Indiana State Police could not provide an answer at the time of publication, as the arresting trooper was on vacation and out of the office.

Indiana State Police and other Indiana city police departments have occasionally assisted the federal government when conducting arrests.

In July, the Avon Police Department worked with federal immigration agents to assist in arresting and detaining about 20 undocumented immigrants during the department's "traffic blitz" in Avon, Indiana, approximately 3 miles from the Marion County border.

Indiana State Police is enrolled in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Task Force Program Model, which allows officers to “enforce limited immigration authority with ICE oversight during their routine police duties.”

...

Sanchez-Ayala was transferred to the Clay County immigration detention center in Brazil, Indiana, and held for two days.

On Dec. 12, he was transferred to the Campbell County Detention Center in Newport, Kentucky, which is about 120 miles from Indianapolis. He’s been at the facility for the past two weeks, according to Reeves.

Reeves had to call different immigration detention centers in Indiana and the Midwest to find where his husband was being held.

Sanchez-Ayala's location information does not appear in the ICE’s online detainee locator system. Normally, people who have been placed in ICE custody will appear in the government's database within 48 hours of their arrest. IndyStar verified that Sanchez-Ayala cannot be located on ICE’s website.

The most recent update that Sanchez-Ayala received was that his Master’s Hearing, or his first immigration hearing, was scheduled for Dec. 29, 2025, in the Indianapolis immigration court.

....

Whenever Reeves isn't taking care of the house or the couple's two dogs, he researches federal law and calls immigration lawyers, trying to understand what, if anything, he can do to help his husband. He's also started a GoFundMe in hopes of raising money to hire an immigration lawyer to defend his husband in court. Unlike in criminal cases, immigrants are not provided a lawyer for immigration legal proceedings.

..

 

It is sickening how this kind of "enforcement" is ruining lives and families.  On a smaller, but also important scale, is simply the amount of taxpayer money being wasted by ICE, ISP, and local LE on this.