Hameda Hinkle might not have become a United States citizen this year if it weren't for President Donald Trump. When he signed his executive order of January 27, restricting entry to the U.S. for nationals of seven predominantly Muslim countries, the South Burlington resident was alarmed. Hinkle is a native of South Africa — not a country named in the order, but she's a Muslim from a region with a sizable population of that faith. "Maybe it's just a matter of time [before] he bans people from Cape Town," she thought. Read their stories: Hameda Hinkle of South Africa Ahmed Alsaeedi of Iraq Marta Ceroni of Italy Issouf Ouattara of Burkina Faso Faridar Ko of Burma (now Myanmar) More: Read the Oath of Allegiance Take a mock citizenship test Hinkle had been living in America since marrying a U.S. citizen in 2003, but the task of applying for her permanent resident card, or green card, was so arduous that she put off taking the next step, she said. But when even permanent residents were denied reentry to the U.S. in the initial wake of the travel ban, Hinkle decided it was time to become a naturalized U.S citizen. On September 18, Hinkle joined 17 other people from 14 countries to take the oath of allegiance aboard the steamboat Ticonderoga at Shelburne Museum, while about 100 family members, friends and representatives of Vermont's congressional delegation looked on. The naturalization ceremony was part of a weeklong celebration of Constitution Week, when 30,000 new citizens were welcomed at more than 200 ceremonies across the U.S., according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Some of them shared Hinkle's motivation. The Trump administration's measures to restrict immigration have had an unintended consequence: Green card holders such as Hinkle are now taking steps to ensure that their future is secured through naturalization. "Since Trump's election, more people have felt generally anxious and uncertain, and they've been propelled to become citizens," said Michele Jenness, the legal services coordinator at the Association of Africans Living in Vermont. To be eligible for citizenship, a green card holder must typically have been in the U.S. for at least five years. About 13.2 million permanent green-card-holding residents lived in the U.S. in 2014, and 8.9 million of them were eligible for naturalization, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In 2015, about 1.05…
Hameda Hinkle might not have become a United States citizen this year if it weren't for President Donald Trump. When he signed his executive order of January 27, restricting entry to the U.S. for nationals of seven predominantly Muslim countries, the South Burlington resident was alarmed. Hinkle is a native of South Africa — not a country named in the order, but she's a Muslim from a region with a sizable population of that faith. "Maybe it's just a matter of time [before] he bans people from Cape Town," she thought. Read their stories: Hameda Hinkle of South Africa Ahmed Alsaeedi of Iraq Marta Ceroni of Italy Issouf Ouattara of Burkina Faso Faridar Ko of Burma (now Myanmar) More: Read the Oath of Allegiance Take a mock citizenship test Hinkle had been living in America since marrying a U.S. citizen in 2003, but the task of applying for her permanent resident card, or green card, was so arduous that she put off taking the next step, she said. But when even permanent residents were denied reentry to the U.S. in the initial wake of the travel ban, Hinkle decided it was time to become a naturalized U.S citizen. On September 18, Hinkle joined 17 other people from 14 countries to take the oath of allegiance aboard the steamboat Ticonderoga at Shelburne Museum, while about 100 family members, friends and representatives of Vermont's congressional delegation looked on. The naturalization ceremony was part of a weeklong celebration of Constitution Week, when 30,000 new citizens were welcomed at more than 200 ceremonies across the U.S., according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Some of them shared Hinkle's motivation. The Trump administration's measures to restrict immigration have had an unintended consequence: Green card holders such as Hinkle are now taking steps to ensure that their future is secured through naturalization. "Since Trump's election, more people have felt generally anxious and uncertain, and they've been propelled to become citizens," said Michele Jenness, the legal services coordinator at the Association of Africans Living in Vermont. To be eligible for citizenship, a green card holder must typically have been in the U.S. for at least five years. About 13.2 million permanent green-card-holding residents lived in the U.S. in 2014, and 8.9 million of them were eligible for naturalization, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In 2015, about 1.05…