Hunter
04/06/26
A University of Iowa professor who has been in the country for over 25 years is suing the United States government after his and his wife’s naturalization ceremony was canceled without explanation.
Sources report Sunday Goshit and his wife Regina filed the suit against the US Citizen and Immigration Services on Friday, claiming that their citizenship was unlawfully disrupted after they passed their naturalization exam in October and met all requirements.
The ceremony was reportedly canceled after President Donald Trump issued a proclamation restricting entry and visas from certain countries, including Goshit’s native Nigeria. The proclamation does not apply to naturalization, prompting the suit.
Goshit came to Iowa City in 2000 to pursue a PhD in Geography and two master’s degrees. He’s currently the adjunct assistant professor of international studies at the U of I, president of the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council and co-founder of the annual African Festival of Arts and Culture.
The Press-Citizen reports the Goshits will be represented by the University of Iowa’s College of Law’s Federal Impact Litigation Clinic, which litigates civil cases in federal court at the intersection of immigration, civil rights, and administrative law.
The suit asks a judge to order the USCIS to stop the delay and schedule the oath ceremony immediately. The government has two months to respond.