President Trump’s decision to suspend naturalization ceremonies is leaving residents across the country in an unusual position, now stuck in limbo after they were on the verge of gaining U.S. citizenship.

Critics say the pause is the Trump administration’s latest form of collective punishment for migrants, who have seen their hopes of citizenship dashed following the deadly shooting of a National Guard member in Washington, D.C.

On Thanksgiving, Trump said he would “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries” in response to the shooting. The next week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) suspended naturalization ceremonies for citizens of the 19 countries covered by the travel ban. It’s a list that’s since grown, as the president in December expanded the list to 39 countries.

In some cases, immigrants have already passed the citizenship test, only to be blocked from taking the oath that makes their naturalization official.

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The U.S. typically naturalizes about 800,000 new citizens per year, the bulk of which are from Mexico, India and the Philippines.

“Naturalization candidates have been pulled from their scheduled citizenship ceremonies. I know this to be true because it happened to my constituents, who have reached out to my office,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on the floor this week.

“They are rightfully upset that the administration has stopped them — individuals who are already approved for citizenship — from taking their oath of allegiance to this country.”

The Trump administration has said the move is needed to thoroughly vet immigrants before they become U.S. citizens.

“USCIS has paused all adjudications for aliens from high-risk countries while USCIS works to ensure that all aliens from these countries are vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. The pause will allow for a comprehensive examination of all pending benefit requests for aliens from the designated high-risk countries,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement.

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