Washington (November 19, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) today led a letter to Joseph Edlow, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), demanding answers from USCIS regarding the significant changes recently made to the naturalization civics test. The letter also urges the Trump administration to rethink this policy in order to prevent long-term harm to the country’s naturalization process and immigration system. In addition to Senators Markey and Hirono, the letter is also signed by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

“With little public warning or opportunity for public input through the formal notice-and-comment procedure, USCIS made significant changes to the naturalization civics test, to the detriment of those who file their naturalization applications on or after October 20, 2025,” stated the senators. “Encouraging naturalization has long been a bipartisan goal, yet USCIS has taken actions that will harm those seeking to become citizens while serving no legitimate public policy interest.”

The civics test is an oral exam that must be passed by immigrants seeking naturalization as U.S. citizens, with limited exception. The previous version of the test had required applicants to answer 6 questions correctly out of 10. Since the Trump Administration’s changes in October, the new threshold for passing requires applicants to answer twice as many questions correctly—12 out of 20. In addition to increasing the question threshold, USCIS also increased the difficulty of the questions, and expanded the list of potential questions from 100 to 128 options for agents to choose from.

“This sudden and arbitrary overhaul of the civics test will disproportionately impact vulnerable applicants, including low-income individuals with limited access to preparation services, those with limited English proficiency or low literacy levels, and those who are elderly,” they continued. “We are also deeply concerned that this change is part of a larger scheme to arbitrarily impose new obstacles to citizenship.”

In their letter, the lawmakers also asserted that USCIS failed to demonstrate why the changes to the test were necessary, and condemned the agency for failing to provide opportunities for public input or engage with experts in naturalization before implementing the recent changes. They demanded answers as to why USCIS made these changes and how they determined what changes to make.

“The Administration’s decision to make the naturalization process more arduous for long-time residents will have lasting consequences for our communities and immigration system,” concluded the lawmakers. “We urge USCIS to rethink these concerning policies and protect the pathway to citizenship that has driven inclusion and progress in our country for decades.”

The full text of the letter is available HERE.

###