Several immigrants ready to take their citizenship oaths at Boston’s Faneuil Hall this week were told they could not proceed because of their countries of origin.

The same situation is playing out across the country.

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US Citizenship and Immigration Services has instructed its employees to halt immigration pathways to people from 19 countries deemed high risk, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti and Somalia.

The naturalization ceremony is the final step to becoming a U.S. citizen, a process that takes years to complete.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu expressed outrage at the situation over the weekend.

“It’s despicable and it is deeply painful to see this happening across the country but to feel it at the cr

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