Bay Area Citizenship Classes Rise Amid Funding Cuts and ICE Actions

(SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA) Bay Area citizenship classes are seeing an unprecedented wave of interest in 2025 as federal funding is cut, ICE arrests continue, and legal permanent residents rush to secure their future in the 🇺🇸. Local nonprofits say phone lines are jammed, waiting lists are growing, and fear is driving many green card holders to finally apply for naturalization rather than risk another shift in enforcement.

Surge in demand at IIBA and other providers

At the center of this surge is the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area, or IIBA, one of the region’s main providers of low‑cost legal help and Bay Area citizenship classes. Program manager Glen Olson says the organization has been overwhelmed by interest since January.

“In the first six months of 2025, we had at least double the amount of people reaching out by phone or email to me asking about joining our citizenship classes,” Olson said, describing a level of demand he has never seen before.

Olson and his colleagues link the spike directly to President Trump’s immigration crackdown and the drumbeat of ICE arrests in homes, schools and workplaces across the region. Many callers already hold green cards but worry that a criminal charge, a misunderstanding at the border, or a future rule change could put that status at risk.

“They can take away your residency, but you can’t lose your citizenship,” said Victoria Cecilia Perez, a Bay Area resident who recently applied to naturalize after years of delaying the decision.

Federal funding cuts and local impact

The rush comes just as the federal government pulls back support. The Trump administration canceled a $150,000 grant that IIBA was set to receive in October 2025, part of a two‑year $300,000 award that had already been announced.

“When we received notification that the government was rescinding the two-year grant of $300,000 that had been awarded, we were more than concerned,” said executive director Ellen Dumesnil, who now faces the task of keeping services running with fewer paid staff.

The loss of federal money is part of wider cuts to immigrant support programs nationwide. For Bay Area citizenship classes, that means:

• Longer waiting lists
• Fewer evening options for workers
• A heavier reliance on volunteers and private donations

VisaVerge.com, which tracks immigration policy and local services, has highlighted how community organizations must stretch every dollar when grants are withdrawn, even as demand from anxious residents keeps rising.

Enforcement changes increasing urgency

Advocates say ICE arrests have continued in the Bay Area, including in schools and workplaces, deepening a sense of vulnerability among families with mixed immigration status.

• U.S. citizens cannot be removed, but permanent residents can face deportation if found removable under immigration law.
• Many students in these classes are learning that distinction for the first time.

The Department of Homeland Security has also altered the naturalization experience by stopping large public ceremonies in sanctuary jurisdictions, citing security concerns. As a result:

• New citizens in the Bay Area often take the oath in smaller rooms at immigration offices.
• Sometimes the oath is administered the same day applicants pass the interview and civics exam.
• Traditional theater‑style events with judges, speeches and families waving flags are less common.

Harder pathway: testing, background checks, and processing delays

Behind the scenes, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has tightened procedures:

• A more rigorous civics test has been rolled out.
• Background checks for applicants have been expanded.

Processing times for naturalization cases handled through the official Form N-400 have increased. According to local legal service providers, average processing times rose from 5 months to nearly 8 months in 2025.

• Link to the form: Form N-400

Applicants now wait longer in uncertainty, even as they face growing pressure at work and at home to prove their status.

Local responses and emergency funding

Local organizations and funders have moved quickly to respond:

• The East Bay Community Foundation approved an additional $250,000 for rapid response grantmaking to support immigrant communities and plug gaps left by cuts.
  • “Funding cuts at the federal, state, and local levels are having a devastating impact, and the threats to our communities are shifting every day,” the foundation said, warning legal clinics could otherwise be forced to turn away would‑be citizens.
• San Francisco’s city-backed Pathways to Citizenship Initiative continues to offer free workshops to help residents complete forms, gather documents and meet with pro‑bono attorneys.
  • In 2025, more than 100 people attended a recent workshop, with two more sessions already scheduled for October and November.
  • Organizers say these events now fill quickly as lawful permanent residents hurry to start applications before further rule changes or fee increases.

Changes observed at educational institutions

Education providers are noticing related shifts in enrollment and demographics:

• Foothill College reports resident student enrollment rose by 12% from spring 2024 to spring 2025, with a clear increase in first-generation students.
• While not all of these students are in Bay Area citizenship classes, counselors say the numbers reflect a broader push among immigrant and first-generation families to seek stability, credentials and information amid policy uncertainty.

Classroom experiences: fear, questions, and determination

For many students in cramped classrooms from San Jose to Richmond, applying now is about more than paperwork. Instructors report:

• Some students have relatives recently picked up in ICE arrests.
• Others have watched friends lose jobs after routine Social Security checks.
• Questions during class have shifted from memorizing the oath to concerns about:
  • Whether a minor offense could block citizenship
  • Whether traveling abroad during the process might raise red flags

Despite anxiety, teachers and advocates describe a strong sense of determination in many rooms. Students:

• Practice civics questions
• Share stories and support each other in hallways
• Talk about the first election they hope to vote in as citizens

For organizations like IIBA, the central challenge in 2025 is to keep doors open long enough for every eligible resident who wants to become American to get a seat in class. Many say they cannot wait anymore.