While Most Americans Would Fail Current Test, Administration Targets Immigrants With Harder Requirements

The Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown reveals a troubling double standard that exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of American citizenship policy. As U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow declares the current citizenship test “just too easy,” most natural-born Americans couldn’t pass the very exam he wants to make even harder.

The Administration’s New Vision: “Declaring War on Fraud”

At a conference hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies, Edlow announced his intentions to overhaul the naturalization process. “Simply put, I want to see the naturalization process returned to where I believe it should have been,” he stated. “Frankly, this test is just too easy. Six out of 10 questions right now is what people have to get right.”

The proposed changes include making the test more “thought-provoking” and potentially requiring applicants to write essays explaining what becoming an American means to them. Edlow embraced the idea that USCIS should function as an “enforcement” agency, declaring: “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 U.S. citizen.”

What the Current Test Actually Covers

The existing citizenship test requires applicants to answer six out of 10 questions correctly from a pool of 100 possible questions. Sample questions include:

• “Who is in charge of the executive branch?”
• “The House of Representatives has how many voting members?”
• “There were 13 original states. Name three.”

These questions test basic civic knowledge and English-language competency—skills that should theoretically be fundamental to American citizens.

The Shocking Reality: Americans Are Failing Their Own Test

Here’s where the administration’s logic crumbles spectacularly. Research from the Institute for Citizens & Scholars reveals that only 36 percent of Americans can pass a multiple-choice version of their own citizenship test.

The statistics are even more damning:

• Only 13 percent knew when the U.S. Constitution was ratified
• 60 percent couldn’t identify which countries the U.S. fought in World War II
• 57 percent didn’t know how many Supreme Court justices serve on the nation’s highest court
• For Americans under 45, only 19 percent passed the exam

A 2018 NBC News survey confirmed these findings, showing that two-thirds of Americans would fail the test required to become a U.S. citizen.

The Hypocrisy Exposed: Two Standards of Citizenship

The irony is inescapable and infuriating. The Trump administration wants to make it harder for immigrants—people who have chosen America and demonstrated their commitment through the legal immigration process—to prove their worthiness for citizenship. Meanwhile, millions of natural-born Americans who inherited their citizenship through the accident of birth couldn’t meet the standards being imposed on newcomers.

This represents a fundamental contradiction in American values. We’re essentially saying that birthright citizens who can’t name a single branch of government deserve their citizenship, but immigrants who’ve lived here legally for years, contributed to their communities, and want to formalize their commitment must jump through increasingly difficult hoops.

The Real Numbers Tell a Different Story

According to USCIS data, more than 92 percent of applicants pass the civics portion of the naturalization test on their first attempt. This suggests the current system effectively identifies people who have taken the time to learn about American government and history.

Yet Trump administration policies have already increased denial rates across multiple immigration forms, with some showing dramatic increases:

• I-129F (fiancé visas): increased from 21.5% to 32.1% denial rate
• I-90 (green card renewal): jumped from 4.0% to 6.7%

A Misguided Approach to Civic Engagement

If the Trump administration truly cared about civic knowledge and American values, it would focus on improving civic education for all Americans. Instead of making it harder for motivated immigrants to become citizens, why not invest in programs that help natural-born Americans understand their own government?

The Brennan Center for Justice research shows that over 21 million Americans don’t even have proof of citizenship readily available. Rather than creating additional barriers for immigrants, shouldn’t we be addressing the civic knowledge gaps among existing citizens?

What’s Really at Stake

This isn’t about maintaining standards or ensuring civic knowledge. It’s about creating artificial barriers to citizenship for people who’ve already demonstrated their commitment to America. The data shows that immigrants seeking citizenship are more knowledgeable about American civics than most Americans.

As immigration expert David Bier noted, “It’s strange to say that the test is easy when it’s a test most Americans would fail.” The proposed changes risk excluding exactly the kind of engaged, knowledgeable future citizens America needs.

A Call for Educational Investment, Not Immigration Restriction

Rather than making citizenship harder to obtain, America should invest in civic education for everyone. We need:

• Comprehensive civics education in schools
• Adult education programs for civic engagement
• Community-based civics initiatives
• Media literacy and critical thinking programs

The solution to civic ignorance isn’t fewer engaged citizens—it’s better education for all Americans.

The Path Forward

The Trump administration’s citizenship test crackdown reveals a troubling truth about American priorities. Instead of celebrating immigrants who choose America and commit to learning about our system of government, we’re making it harder for them to join our democratic experiment.

If we truly believe in American exceptionalism, we should be proud that people from around the world want to become Americans. We should make the path to citizenship fair and accessible for those who’ve earned it through legal residence, community involvement, and civic engagement.

The real test of American values isn’t whether immigrants can answer increasingly difficult questions about our government. It’s whether we can live up to our founding principles of equality and opportunity for all.

Take Action: Contact your representatives and demand investment in civic education for all Americans, not additional barriers for immigrants seeking citizenship. America is strongest when we welcome and educate, not when we exclude and discriminate.