Becoming a US citizen is always a time-consuming, bureaucratic process. But after 9/11, immigration services began requiring an expanded background check.
So for tens of thousands of applicants, the wait stretched from months to years. Many immigrants have ended up suing the government because of the long delays.
KC Currents' Sylvia Maria Gross has the story of U.S Army Spc. Julian Polous Al Matchy whose citizenship papers were supposed to be expedited.
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