About 200 new American citizens have received a welcome packet that included a letter signed by former President Barack Obama, the Hill reported over the weekend.
That’s not how things are supposed to work. President Trump’s John Hancock should be on the missives distributed to those who have just taken the oath of citizenship.
This came to light when Aisha Sultan, a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, shared what her British-born, newly naturalized husband received. In a folder marked “From the President of the United States,” a letter reads, “We embrace you as a new citizen of our land, and we welcome you to the American family,” signed by Barack Obama.
Sultan shared pictures of the packet on Twitter, capped with the laughing-so-hard-I’m-crying emoji.
“My British-born husband takes his oath of citizenship today,” she wrote. “In the packet for new Americans, the welcome letter from POTUS is from Obama.”
My British-born husband takes his oath of citizenship today. In the packet for new Americans, the welcome letter from POTUS is from Obama. ? pic.twitter.com/O56cMj0hhx
— Aisha Sultan (@AishaS) July 14, 2017
About 200 outdated letters were sent out because of an administrative error, according to the Hill. The welcome letters are produced by the new administration and then distributed to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS press secretary Gillian Christensen told The Hill.
As it turns out, there’s often a lag time between old and new letters when an administration takes over. Last month, Maria Elena Upson, another USCIS spokesperson, told the Arizona Republic that producing a new letter and presidential video message for new citizens usually takes months.
“Following a change in administrations, it typically takes several months for a new letter and video message to be produced and distributed to USCIS field offices,” she said. “During this interim period, USCIS does not provide a congratulatory letter or show a video message.”
