[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-310170-105":59,"doc-detail-310170-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","12-14-20-maldef-uscis-citizenship-test-comment-final","12-14-20-MALDEF-USCIS-Citizenship-Test-Comment-FINAL","","Formal submission letter from MALDEF responding to updated USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12, Part E, Chapter 2 regarding the civics educational requirement for naturalization. The letter argues the revised guidance is discriminatory and imposes an undue burden by increasing the number of civics questions from 10 to 20 and requiring more material to study. It also alleges procedural and legal defects, including failure to follow required rulemaking procedures and purported violations of the APA. MALDEF requests USCIS rescind the revised policy guidance.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":20,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/12-14-20-maldef-uscis-citizenship-test-comment-final/310170/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/12-14-20-maldef-uscis-citizenship-test-comment-final/310170.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"McGucket","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-09-20",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":34},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What change to the civics test does the letter criticize?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The letter criticizes USCIS for revising the civics test and increasing the number of questions and the preparation required for naturalization.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Why does MALDEF argue the updated guidance is discriminatory and burdensome?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It contends the update increases the number of questions applicants must study and answer correctly, adding time, cost, and complexity, including more nuanced English requirements.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What procedural concerns does the letter raise regarding the policy update?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The letter argues the update should be rescinded due to procedural errors, asserting that binding effects require proper notice-and-comment rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},310170,1791452124,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":19,"category_name":20,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":34,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":19,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":52,"preview_page_count":4},1236954412713,"https://us-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","Washington, D.C. Regional Office  \n1016 16th Street, NW Suite 100  \nWashington, DC 20036  \nTel: 202.293.2828  \nNational Headquarters Los Angeles Regional Office  \n634 S. Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90014  \nTel: 213.629.2512  \nChicago  \nRegional Office  \n11 East Adams Suite 700  \nChicago, IL 60603  \nTel: 312.427.0701  \nSan Antonio Regional Office  \n110 Broadway Suite 300  \nSan Antonio, TX 78205  \nTel: 210.224.5476  \nSacramento Policy Office  \n1512 14th Street  \nSacramento, CA 95814  \nTel: 916.444.3031  \nSubmitted via email [to: USCISPolicyManual@uscis.dhs.gov](to: USCISPolicyManual@uscis.dhs.gov)  \nDecember 14, 2020  \nU.S. Department of Homeland Security  \nU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Office of the Director  \n20 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.  \nWashington, D.C. 20529  \nRE: USCIS Policy Manual Revisions – Civics Educational Requirement for Purposes of Naturalization  \nDear Sir or Madam:  \nI write on behalf of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), in response to the updated policy guidance in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Policy Manual Volume 12, Part E, Chapter 2 regarding the civics educational requirement for purposes of naturalization.1 Founded in 1968, MALDEF is the nation’s leading Latino legal civil rights organization. Described as the “law firm of the Latino community,” MALDEF promotes social change in the areas of immigrant rights, employment, education, and voting rights.  \nOver the past four years, MALDEF has defended the civil and due process rights of immigrants from the current administration’s various anti-immigrant attacks aimed at discouraging immigrants from exercising their rights as well as barring immigrants from the larger democratic process. The revised policy guidance, which increased the number of questions asked from 10 to 20, increased the number of questions necessary to study, reworded previous questions to require amore nuanced understanding of English vocabulary, and politicized the language of several new answers, seeks to continue this discriminatory trend of immigrant exclusion and gatekeeping.  \nBeyond the problems associated with guidance’s contents, the updated policy guidance should be rescinded due to several procedural errors in its creation and implementation. While the changes to the test requirements are framed as policy guidance, which is generally exempt from rulemaking procedures under the  \n1 See USCIS ANNOUNCES A REVISED NATURALIZATION CIVICS TEST, U. S. CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES (Nov. 13, 2020), [https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis](https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis)announces-a-revised-naturalization-civics-test.  \nAdministrative Procedure Act (APA),2 the update is binding on the public and has the “force and effect of law,” thereby necessitating the notice and comment rulemaking procedures proper for substantive rules, which did not occur in this case.3 Furthermore, any USCIS guidance or rulemaking issued by the current USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow violates the APA and must be vacated, 4 as Deputy Director Edlow was wrongfully appointed by Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, who himself is illegally serving and does not “possess the power to ratify any of his former actions.”5 Therefore, MALDEF submits the following comments to urge USCIS to rescind the revised policy guidance concerning the civics educational requirement for purposes of naturalization.  \nI. The updated policy guidance is discriminatory in nature and unduly burdensome for applicants for naturalization.  \nOn November 13, 2020, USCIS announced that it had “revised the civics test as part ofa decennial update to ensure that it remains an instrument that comprehensively assesses applicants’ knowledge of American history, government and civil values,” with the changes going into effect on December 1, 2020.6 While applicants previously were only required to answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly, ","cbCainAgXX3hxJBb","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCainAgXX3hxJBb","pdf",370523,"English","# Letter of Comment on USCIS Policy Manual Revisions\n## Discriminatory nature and undue burden\n## Increased question count and study requirements\n## Procedural errors and APA rulemaking concerns","[{\"question\":\"What change to the civics test does the letter criticize?\",\"answer\":\"The letter criticizes USCIS for revising the civics test and increasing the number of questions and the preparation required for naturalization.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does MALDEF argue the updated guidance is discriminatory and burdensome?\",\"answer\":\"It contends the update increases the number of questions applicants must study and answer correctly, adding time, cost, and complexity, including more nuanced English requirements.\"},{\"question\":\"What procedural concerns does the letter raise regarding the policy update?\",\"answer\":\"The letter argues the update should be rescinded due to procedural errors, asserting that binding effects require proper notice-and-comment rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act.\"}]","12-14-20-MALDEF-USCIS-Citizenship-Test-Comment-FINAL | PDF",1789876363]