They were almost American – then Trump cancelled their citizenship ceremonies

BBC:

Sanam, an Iranian immigrant who came to the US over a decade ago, was finally about to become a US citizen. Years of navigating paperwork, approvals, tests, and security vetting, had brought her to the last step: a naturalization ceremony.

But then, just two days before she was to take her oath on 3 December, the US government abruptly cancelled it.

Sanam was shocked and confused at first – there was no explanation. She didn’t understand why the ceremony was cancelled when she hadn’t done anything wrong, she told the BBC.

Later, she found out it was because of where she was born, and sadness and frustration crept in.

“It’s been just years and just feeling drained and feeling like, can I even keep going with this process? Because it’s been so hard,” Sanam said. “It’s just very heartbreaking.”