Citizenship Day and Constitution Day Hit Different in 2025
The struggle for voting rights in America has never been a straight line toward progress. From the exclusion of women and people of color in our founding documents, to the hard-fought battles for the 15th and 19th Amendments, to the Jim Crow-era poll taxes and literacy tests and the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, each generation has faced efforts to restrict democratic participation among marginalized communities. The current administration’s attacks on both citizenship pathways and voting access represent the latest chapter in this ongoing struggle.
This Constitution Day, also celebrated as Citizenship Day, occurring during National Voter Registration Week, carries profound significance as we witness unprecedented attacks on the fundamental rights that define American democracy. From the 23,600 Massachusetts residents who became newly-naturalized U.S. citizens in FY2024, to millions of eligible voters across the nation, marginalized communities face systemic and systematic barriers designed to limit their participation in American civic life.
Citizenship Under Attack
Since retaking office in January 2025, the Trump administration has made it increasingly difficult for immigrants to achieve citizenship. The reintroduction of “neighborhood checks”—a practice abandoned in the 1990s due to ineffectiveness—creates an atmosphere of surveillance and intimidation around citizenship applications. More troubling is the administration’s pledge to scrutinize “good moral character” qualifications more heavily, a thinly-veiled attempt to slow an already lengthy process that keeps aspiring citizens in limbo.
The impact extends beyond individual applicants. Across the nation, the administration has slashed funding to nonprofits that help citizenship candidates prepare paperwork, study English, and practice for the naturalization interview and test. Organizations in Southern California, Northern Virginia, and the Midwest have been forced to cut critical community programs, leaving vulnerable immigrant communities without essential support systems.
Voting Rights in the Crosshairs
The administration’s assault on democratic participation expanded dramatically with the March 2025 executive order “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.” This sweeping directive targets voting access through multiple mechanisms that disproportionately affect marginalized communities.
The requirement for documentary proof of citizenship—such as a passport—to register for federal elections, creates insurmountable barriers for low-income Americans, many of whom lack such documents. Similarly, mandating that all mail-in ballots arrive by Election Day, regardless of postmark, effectively disenfranchises voters in rural areas, military personnel overseas, and communities with unreliable postal service.
Perhaps most concerning is the directive requiring federal agencies to review state voter registration lists and potentially subpoena records for “list maintenance.” This echoes the voter registration fraud prosecutions reminiscent of the George W. Bush era, which primarily targeted nonpartisan voter registration drives serving communities of color. As of September 11, 2025 33 million voters had already been run through the administration’s “citizenship check”.
Federal Agencies Weaponized
The transformation of federal agencies reveals the administration’s systematic approach to restricting rights. The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division—traditionally a defender of voting rights—has dropped voting rights lawsuits and withdrawn from cases protecting electoral access. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has tied election security grants to state voting policies while removing language that explicitly banned using grant money for voter suppression activities.
Legal Resistance and Community Response
Federal courts have provided some relief, with judges blocking key provisions of the executive order in June 2025, ruling that the president exceeded constitutional authority. The ACLU and voting rights organizations have mounted vigorous legal challenges, arguing these policies constitute an unconstitutional power grab targeting eligible voters.
However, the damage extends beyond policy implementation. Three states eliminated grace periods for mail-in ballots by July 2025, while the climate of intimidation affects both citizenship applicants and potential voters in marginalized communities.
A Call to Action
Massachusetts, home to over 200,000 immigrants eligible for U.S. citizenship, exemplifies both the challenge and the opportunity. The state’s federal delegation must intensify efforts to condemn neighborhood checks and advocate for increased funding for citizenship assistance organizations.
For immigrant communities, giving in to the administration’s fear-mongering would abandon dreams pursued for years. Organizations like MIRA and dozens of immigrant nonprofits across Massachusetts and nationally continue working daily to protect immigrants’ rights, safety, and futures.
This Constitution Day reminds us that American democracy has always been strengthened by new citizens and expanded voting access. The current attacks on both citizenship pathways and voting rights represent a fundamental threat to the constitutional principles of due process and equal protection – for new citizens; for native-born citizens; for everyone who lives in the U.S.
As we celebrate those 23,600 new Massachusetts citizens, we must also recommit to defending the constitutional rights that make their achievements—and our democracy—possible. The strength of our constitutional system depends not just on the document we celebrate, but on our collective commitment to ensuring its protections reach every community.
What you can do:
Celebrate National Voter Registration Week 2025 by making sure you’re ready for this year’s elections, and encouraging your friends to do the same.
Even though it’s not a presidential or congressional election year, local elections will determine vital things like whether your city can build more housing, books stay on school shelves, or local governments assist ICE. Your vote matters!
- Confirm that your voter registration is still valid (or register to vote for the first time by your state’s deadline).
- Update your address or re-register if you’ve recently moved.
- Make a plan to vote by mail or in person, whether early or on Election Day.
- Find out who and what is on your ballot.
- Ask two friends to register to vote or to verify their registrations. Studies show that people are more likely to vote if they are encouraged by someone they know.
Source: NonprofitVOTE, Americans of Conscience
Protect your state’s voter rolls from federal overreach.
Contact: Your state’s Secretary of State or chief election official (look up).
Script: Hello, my name is _____, contacting you from [ZIP] to urge you to follow Maine’s example and refuse to divulge [STATE]’s protected voter information to the Justice Department. The DOJ’s request for sensitive voter information violates the Privacy Act of 1974, and states need to affirm their constitutionally granted jurisdiction over elections. Please protect [STATE]’s voters from this illegal abuse of federal power. Thank you.
Source: Brennan Center, Americans of Conscience
Support MA State legislation that protects immigrant communities.
Use this easy link to share your support with your representatives in the State House.
More information about the Protect Our Immigrant Communities campaign here, including a toolkit with social graphics and how to participate in a postcard campaign.
Source: MIRA
Support aspiring Americans in your community.
The current administration has deployed more than 42,000 additional agents across the U.S. to increase immigration detention. These ICE raids have led to multiple cases of legally questionable arrests and wrongful detention of American citizens and lawful permanent residents. Learn your rights as a bystander during an ICE raid and how to help people by safely documenting their arrest.
- Watch: The We Have Rights video When Documenting ICE Arrests.
- Read: This infographic from Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network.
- Learn: The WITNESS checklist for Sharing Videos of Immigration Enforcement.
- Share: MIRA’s Know Your Rights Resources for immigrants – includes resources for individuals, families, educators, employers, and allies in multiple languages
- Learn further: We Have Rights and Eyes on ICE.
Source: AoCC, MIRA, Americans of Conscience
Hold Kristi Noem and ICE accountable.
Contact: Your two senators and one House representative (call, write, or email).
Script: Hi, my name is _____, and I’m reaching out from [ZIP] to urge an investigation into Kristi Noem’s unethical actions as DHS Secretary. Secretary Noem has shown a consistent pattern of unconstitutional overreach, endangerment of U.S. citizens, and blatant violations of civil rights under her leadership. I join more than 70 national and regional organizations in calling on [Sen./Rep. NAME] to investigate DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and hold her accountable for her actions.
Bonus: Complete this NILC form to demand Congress conduct ICE oversight (uncheck “I’d like to subscribe to NILC’s email list”, or get on the email list for future updates).
Source: Mi Familia Vota, Americans of Conscience
Sources:
Voting Rights in America – Two Centuries of Struggle by Bruce Hartford
America’s Long History of Black Voter Suppression: A timeline of new and old efforts to limit the political power of Black Americans and other voters of color Analysis by Brandon Tensley, CNN
Fiscal Year 2024 Naturalization Statistics – United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
U.S. to resume “neighborhood checks” for citizenship applications as part of Trump push to heavily vet immigrants – CBS
Trump administration expands ‘good moral character’ requirement to become naturalized citizen – CNN
DHS cuts funds for groups helping legal immigrants become U.S. citizens – Washington Post
Trump signs new executive order to change election rules: What we know – Al Jazeera
Trump administration demands state voter data, including partial Social Security numbers – CNN
33 million voters have been run through a Trump administration citizenship check – NPR
Under Trump, the Justice Department is stepping away from some voting rights cases – NPR
DHS to states: Follow our voting rules or lose out on election security money – NPR
Judge blocks Trump administration from requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote – ABC
A 2nd judge halts more of Trump’s voting executive order – NPR
Immigrants In Massachusetts – American Immigration Council