INDIANAPOLIS – Naturalization ceremonies, a time-honored tradition in Indianapolis, are set to undergo significant changes as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announces that such events will no longer take place outside of their field offices. For nearly a decade, the Indianapolis Central Public Library hosted new American citizens during these ceremonies, but that will no longer be the case, according to a notification from the Department of Homeland Security.
"There is no auditorium there,” said Chelsey Caseldine, a representative of the League of Women Voters of Indianapolis. “There is no place for the new citizen families to be. It's not going to be much of a ceremony; I mean, they are going to take the oath and then leave.”
USCIS indicated in a lengthy email that its Indianapolis Field Office will shift its focus to in-house administrative ceremonies. This change is intended to maximize resources dedicated to naturalization examinations and the processing of citizenship candidates. The agency plans to conduct these administrative ceremonies regularly at its field office to ensure the continued dignity and significance of the Oath of Allegiance.
The League of Women Voters assists new citizens in registering to vote post-ceremony, but this will not be feasible for those taking their oaths at the field office.
"We've asked if we can set up in the lobby, and they said no, that would get in the way of other tenants,” Caseldine explained. “We've asked if we could set up a pop-up tent in the parking lot, and they said that would impede the flow of traffic."
The Immigrant Welcome Center, which participates in these events, emphasizes the importance of the ceremonies for building a sense of community.
"People see and recognize that they are not just the only person from Mexico or from Cambodia or Saudi Arabia; there are a couple of other people as well in the Indianapolis area that have also naturalized or are in the naturalization process," said Giovanni Rivera, an immigration specialist at the center.
While the Immigrant Welcome Center views this decision as a potential way to expedite processing times, they remain concerned about the challenges it could pose in reaching new citizens with information about their services.
"We are kind of living in unprecedented times where policy and rules are constantly changing,” Rivera added.
In response to the changes, the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, which has hosted naturalization ceremonies around the Fourth of July for several years, released a statement regarding the upcoming events.
“The July 3 Naturalization is a U.S. District Court event, and the court determines its annual location. The judges of the court have decided to hold the 2025 ceremony at the federal courthouse, and we at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site look forward to continuing to partner with the Federal Court in celebrating our country’s newest citizens as they take the oath of citizenship this year, as we have since 2003. It is our understanding that the intent is to return to our grounds in 2026,” said Charlie Hyde, President & CEO of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site.
USCIS maintains that Indiana locations are not ineligible to host ceremonies; they are simply prioritizing in-house administrative ceremonies over external ones. Certain sanctuary cities have been deemed ineligible for hosting these events.
We reached out to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which hosted a naturalization event last week. They sent the following response to our inquiry.
"We haven’t heard anything from USCIS. While our schedule for next year has not yet been determined, we would be happy to host a naturalization ceremony again."
