Trump official says current citizenship test is 'too easy', signals overhaul to ensure 'attachment to Constitution'

The Trump administration is preparing to raise the difficulty level of the US citizenship test, with officials saying the current version does not adequately assess applicants’ understanding of American civic responsibilities.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow said at a Center for Immigration Studies event in Washington that the current exam is “just too easy.” He argued that the format allows applicants to be “coached” through the process and does not ensure that candidates have a true attachment to the Constitution.

At present, applicants must answer at least six out of ten civics questions correctly, selected from a publicly available set of 100, and demonstrate basic English proficiency. Edlow said that requirement is insufficient. He suggested that the new format could include an essay, asking applicants to describe what becoming an American means to them, and a shift toward more standardized testing.


“A question of simply, ‘hey, name two federal holidays’ and, you know, ‘name one branch of government’ or ‘name your governor.’ It’s simply not enough,” Edlow said. “We need to know more, especially if we’re going to really understand whether someone has a true attachment to the Constitution as required by the statute.”

Edlow stressed he did not want the exam to become “impossible” for ordinary applicants to pass, but said it should be more “thought-provoking” than the current version. He added: “I am declaring war on fraud. I am declaring war on anyone that is coming to this country and wants to get a benefit, but doesn’t want the responsibility of what it means to actually be a US citizen.”

The possible changes come alongside broader efforts by the administration to tighten scrutiny in the naturalization process. USCIS recently announced it would resume interviewing applicants’ neighbors and co-workers, a practice last common in the George H.W. Bush era. The agency also confirmed plans to expand its own law enforcement unit with special agents focused on detecting fraud and working with other security agencies.

“Having agents there who can help do detective work, investigate some of these cases is going to help us get to the right decision and make these decisions so we can move forward with the integrity of the system,” Edlow said.

However, some immigration experts questioned the need for such measures. Doris Meissner, former commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and now head of the US Immigration Policy program at the Migration Policy Institute, said: “It reflects a certain premise that people are manipulating and misusing the system. That’s the opposite of why USCIS was created and it is the opposite of what we know about the legal immigration system.”