Citizenship

Six lawsuits challenging the legality of the citizenship question, filed by various groups including the states of New York and California, are now pending in federal courts.

• By Jonathan Entin

In a new working paper, five Census Bureau economists find that adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census would only reduce accuracy and increase costs.

• By Dwyer Gunn

Prime minister Hun Sen wants it both ways: He wants to claim a democratic mantle but doesn't want to deal with the pesky competition that comes with a genuine election.

• By Oren Samet

New United States citizen Mosammat Rasheda Akter, originally Bangladesh, holds her seven-month-old daughter Fahmida as she sings the U.S. National Anthem during naturalization ceremony at the New York Public Library on July 3rd, 2018.

• By Pacific Standard Staff

For Independence Day, we highlight some of our favorite stories of what it means to be American.

• By Rebecca Worby

The federal agency that processes immigration applications is planning to open a Los Angeles-based office to identify Americans accused of "cheating" their way to citizenship.

• By Kate Wheeling

The administration hasn't been shy about changing the law, but more hidden changes have taken place too.

• By Francie Diep

A political philosopher investigates the question of how a citizenship question on the 2020 census could create bias in public policy that would lead to injustice.

• By Michael Blake

California's attorney general has already challenged the Trump administration's decision to include the question in federal court.

• By Kate Wheeling

According to recently obtained emails, the Census Bureau is hurriedly attempting to add a citizenship status question at the behest of the DOJ.

• By Justin Elliott

The DOJ is pushing for questions that experts say may depress participation by immigrants and harm the quality of the census.

• By Justin Elliott

Dressed as a ninja, Shaheer Sarwar from Pakistan takes the oath of United States citizenship during a Halloween-themed citizenship ceremony on October 31st, 2017, in Fairfax, Virginia.

• By Pacific Standard Staff

A newly naturalized citizen holds a U.S. flag after being sworn in as an American citizen during a naturalization ceremony on June 19th, 2017, in San Francisco, California.

• By Pacific Standard Staff

If letters written by Lee Francis Cissna are any guide, he's poised to dismantle Obama-era policies like a humanitarian program for Central American children.

• By Marcelo Rochabrun

Legal status seems to encourage cultural assimilation.

• By Francie Diep

Where national efforts are failing, states like California are stepping up to the plate.

• By Francie Diep

It's almost always easier to cross international borders if you're something other than human.

• By Rose Dakin

The complicated relationship between citizenship and genetics.

• By Tori Marlan

The ongoing debates about gentrification boil down to nothing more than one big turf war.

• By Jim Russell