The March 12 notice said Tony Clark’s oath of citizenship, which was supposed to be held two weeks later at the Heritage Theatre in Campbell, had been “descheduled.” No explanation was given, and the phone number listed on the piece of paper led to an automated message.
It left Clark, a 60-year-old Campbell resident from England, in limbo. He moved to the United States 35 years ago and has been renewing his green card every 10 years. But last fall, he decided to finally apply for citizenship.
Clark said his first thought when he got the notice was that there was an issue with his citizenship, despite it having already been approved. When that turned out not to be the case, his worry shifted to an international trip he’s set to take in May.
“If the ceremony goes before then, I need to get a U.S. passport because I no longer can come back into the country on any other passport,” Clark said in an interview.
He later learned that others were grappling with the same issue.
The same day that Clark received his notice from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the city of Campbell was alerted by the federal agency that they were terminating the contract to hold naturalization ceremonies at the city-owned Heritage Theatre.
City Manager Brian Loventhal said in an email that USCIS rented the theater once a month and held “three to four naturalization ceremonies each rental day.” Between 2020 and October 2024, the ceremonies were conducted elsewhere due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but prior to that, they had been held at the Heritage Theatre for more than a decade.
The city of Campbell was given little reason for why the contract was cancelled — Loventhal said they cited a government code that gives them the right to terminate a contract for “sole convenience.”
In an email, an unidentified USCIS spokesperson told Bay Area News Group that the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the agency, is “eliminating wasteful redundant services to ensure we are good stewards of taxpayer dollars. As part of the Administration’s ongoing efforts to eliminate waste of U.S. taxpayer dollars, USCIS is reviewing all contracts.”
The spokesperson said the cancellation of contracts for naturalization ceremonies won’t impact the number of individuals “being naturalized in Northern California or elsewhere in the country.” USCIS will now hold the ceremonies in “venues that provide the best value to the American taxpayer, including facilities already owned or operated by the federal government.”
The spokesperson did not respond to follow-up questions about what other contracts were cancelled or where naturalization ceremonies for South Bay residents will now be held.
The end of naturalization ceremonies at the Heritage Theatre comes as Elon Musk’s Department of of Government Efficiency has worked to slash government spending by cancelling contracts and firing federal workers — actions that have been met with a flurry of lawsuits and protests against the Tesla CEO.
Clark is now set to take his oath of citizenship in mid-April, but instead of a ceremony held in a more than a century-old theater that is a key part of the Santa Clara Valley’s history, it will now take place in the parking lot of USCIS’ San Jose field office. The agency previously held drive-through naturalization ceremonies there during the height of the pandemic. U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s said they were told by USCIS that the ceremonies will take place once a month in the parking lot.
“I thought the country was welcoming me to their citizenship and it was a celebration,” Clark said. “Holding it in a venue that made it such seemed appropriate. Holding it in a parking lot seems bizarre, really.”
Campbell Mayor Sergio Lopez said he’s heard from many residents who are concerned about the “abrupt cancellation of this contract and what that signals about the federal administration.”
The city’s history of hosting naturalization ceremonies “holds a lot of significance” not just for the community, but for himself personally, he said. Lopez’s parents were sworn in as citizens at the Heritage Theatre — an event he described as a “beautiful outpouring of community.”
“While I’m glad the ceremonies themselves will continue, it’s sad that we’re losing the symbolism of welcoming people in the heart of our community to participate as citizens in that community,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-San Jose), whose 16th congressional district includes the city of Campbell, said in a statement said that he plans on working to “find a better venue to honor our new fellow citizens.”
“Our community members wait and work for years to realize the dream of becoming an American citizen, and to take the oath to defend and protect our constitution and our country,” he said. “The moment deserves recognition and celebration. Moving this iconic ceremony from a grand, historic theater to an outdoor parking lot does not reflect the welcoming, patriotic spirit of our country.”
The cancellation of the contract has also prompted concerns from the local League of Women Voters chapter.
Since 2012, the League of Women Voters of Southwest Santa Clara Valley has been working on behalf of the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters to register new citizens to vote after they take their oath of citizenship at the Heritage Theatre. Jackie Costanzo, who has coordinated volunteers for voter registration the last 12 years, said that they typically register between 350 to 500 new citizens at the monthly ceremonies.
But USCIS has told the nonpartisan organization that they won’t have room in the parking lot to register new citizens to vote, Costanzo said. She called the decision to hold them there a “sad way to ‘celebrate’ our new citizens.” While new citizens will likely still receive information about how to register to vote, Costanzo said there will be “no one encouraging them or answering any questions.”
“For me it’s a huge missed opportunity for us to welcome these new citizens and talk to them about the importance of voting,” she said. “I’m very, very sad.”