Marriage used to be a glide path to citizenship. Now there are more speed bumps

Immigration Marriage used to be a glide path to citizenship. Now there are more speed bumps July 6, 20265:00 AM ET Ximena Bustillo People wave U.S. flags to celebrate becoming U.S. citizens after taking the oath of allegiance during a naturalization ceremony in Boston in January 2025. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images Stay up to date with our Politics newsletter, sent weekly. The Trump administration's sweeping effort to slow down the rate of legal migration has affected a group traditionally immune from such efforts: spouses of U.S. citizens. The administration has implemented a slew of policy changes since President Trump returned to the White House last year, ranging from pausing immigrant visas for people from 75 countries to imposing greater scrutiny of applicants at green card interviews and widening the scope of who is a target for deportation. The changes have hit all immigrants hard, including those who sought to enter and stay in the country through marriage. Sponsor Message Some non-U.S.-citizen spouses have been separated from their American loved ones and are afraid to engage with the U.S. immigration system, according to lawyers and NPR interviews with affected families. "Life has become a lot more difficult for Americans who are married to somebody who is not born in this country," said Ashley DeAzevedo, executive director of American Families United. The organization advocates for U.S. citizen spouses and immediate family members of those engaged in various immigration processes. The organization's membership has grown over the last year as more people are affected by the rapid policy changes, she said. Now there are about 1.4 million people seeking the group's support in the U.S., and about 300,000 outside the country — made up of people who have left the U.S., as well as those who want to come in. Immigration Immigrants now have fewer legal options to stay in the U.S. under Trump "...