Top Trump Official: Current Citizenship Test 'Too Easy'

A senior Trump immigration official said he's "declaring war on fraud" by making the United States citizenship test more difficult because the current version is "just too easy."

Speaking at an event hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies think tank in Washington, D.C., Thursday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said that the citizenship test needs to demonstrate the applicant's "attachment to the Constitution."

"Simply put, I want to see the naturalization process returned to where I believe it should have been … based on what the Congress has said, based on what the statute says," Edlow said, in remarks highlighted by Mediaite.

"We're looking for attachment to the Constitution. We're looking for an understanding of the civic responsibility of being a U.S. citizen. We're looking for actual understanding and ability to read and speak and write the English language; and, frankly, this test is just too easy. Six out of 10 questions right now is what people have to get right," he added.

He went on to say that he's "had great conversations with adjudicators in the field in various offices" and doesn't like what he's been hearing.

"They're worried, and they're looking forward to it," Edlow said. "They're thanking me for doing what I'm doing, which pretty much all this comes down to is 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."

The potential assessment changes are the latest move by President Donald Trump's administration to apply greater scrutiny to those seeking U.S. citizenship. Last week, USCIS said it would resume conducting interviews with the neighbors and coworkers of applicants, restoring a practice that has been discontinued since former President George H.W. Bush's administration.

While he doesn't want the test to be "so hard that it's impossible" for anyone except highly educated applicants to pass, Edlow said that it needs to be more "thought-provoking." He also said that applicants may be required to write an essay explaining what becoming an American citizen would mean to them and suggested that a more standardized test format might be used in the future.

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