Naturalization applications generally spike during presidential cycles and fall after an election. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, which processes the applications, said it was enlisting officers to work overtime and seeking to fill vacancies, noting “there is no quick fix” for the delays. The electoral implications of the rise in citizenship applications are unclear. After 30 years as a green card holder, “she felt her residency was at risk,” Araceli Morales said of her Mexican mother. “It’s the right time now” to become a citizen, said Mona Wattar from Lebanon, who obtained a green card 10 years ago.

Source: New York Times October 27, 2017 09:00 UTC