Hundreds of people from 63 countries packed into a Riverside theater last week to take the oath of citizenship. American flags lined the stage as messages conveying the immigrants’ new power played on a large screen:
“Today, I am an American. Today, I am a citizen of the country I serve. Today, I can register to vote.”
The 775 people who participated in the naturalization ceremony Sept. 19 are part of a wave of new U.S. citizens being sworn in across the country, as immigration authorities approve citizenship applications at the fastest speed in a decade.
The Biden administration says the uptick in new citizens is due to efforts to reduce a backlog of applications that began during the Trump administration and exploded amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Immigration officials said the timing is not driven by the election or any political agenda.
The Department of Homeland Security “does not take actions based on electoral politics or upcoming elections. Period,” spokesperson Naree Ketudat said. She added that the agency has endeavored to process naturalization petitions within six months for decades.
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