These 128 questions would trip up many U.S. citizens.
 | By Max Strasser International Editor, Opinion |
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Quick! What founding document mentions “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”? What does the judicial branch do? What is the purpose of the 10th Amendment in the United States Constitution? |
If you could answer all three questions — without multiple choice! — then you’d be on track to pass the civics test that’s required by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to become a naturalized citizen. If you couldn’t, then you’d probably put a smile on Stephen Miller’s face. |
In her latest Op-Ed, Maeve Higgins, a comedian, podcaster and contributing Opinion writer who often writes on immigration, looks at the test, which is about to become much more difficult. That’s not a coincidence. “The Trump administration has left almost no part of the immigration system untouched,” Maeve writes. “However innocuous some changes may seem, they illuminate the end goal: curbing legal immigration.” |
The thing I love about Maeve — or rather one of the things I love about Maeve — is that she’s able to deliver this important point not just with sensitivity, but also with humor. She’s hoping to take the test herself someday, so she’s started looking at the questions now. What will she say if she’s asked to name one example of American innovation? “Voodoo-flavored Zapp’s chips spring to mind, as does unearned confidence,” she writes. “However, neither is included in the list of acceptable answers. Instead: light bulbs, skyscrapers and landing on the moon.” |
But really, Maeve makes you think, why shouldn’t potato chips count? She gets to the heart of the issue: the arbitrariness (nearing on absurdity) of a civics test for people who have already fulfilled residency requirements and completed reams of paperwork in the hopes of attaining citizenship. Meanwhile, so many people — lucky by birth — don’t have to work for it at all. |
I couldn’t remember the 10th Amendment, either. |
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