How becoming a US citizen just got harder under the Trump administration and what it means for Angelenos
Imperfect Paradise
LAist Studios
4.5 • 535 Ratings
🗓️ 24 October 2025
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Trump administration’s immigration policies have resulted in raids and protests in Southern California and across the country, and the administration has also moved to tighten who gets citizenship. Recently, the federal government pushed out new guidelines for naturalization. The situation has raised fundamental questions around what it means to be a U.S. citizen and how the process to become one is changing. LAist Higher Education Reporter Julia Barajas looks at how these changes are playing out inside a citizenship prep class at Pasadena City College.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Support for LAIST comes from Car Pros Kia and the new 2027 Kia Telluride Hybrid, |
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| 0:16.8 | This LAISD podcast is supported by Cork and Fork Restaurant in Coachella Valley with a farm-to-table |
| 0:22.5 | menu of chef's favorites and small plates. Weekly wine dinners feature winemakers and experts from all |
| 0:27.9 | over the world. Available for catering and private events. Info at cork and fork winebar.com. |
| 0:34.3 | Before we jump into today's episode, I wanted to share that we are going to be hearing from Larry Mantle, host of Airtalk and previous guests on Imperfect Paradise later throughout the episode. |
| 0:44.3 | We have a great mini interview about halfway through. |
| 0:47.1 | So stick around to hear from The Legend himself. |
| 0:49.4 | And I want us to also take care of a little bit of business right now as well. |
| 0:53.5 | We are in our fall |
| 0:54.6 | member drive and your support is more important than ever because of the cuts to federal funding |
| 1:00.7 | for public media. Donate to keep this service going strong at lAS.com slash imperfect paradise |
| 1:06.6 | and click on the yellow box. You're listening to Inperfect Paradise. |
| 1:13.5 | Amneda Moreno filling in for host Antonia Serejido. |
| 1:19.0 | Immigration raids and protests continue to sweep the nation. |
| 1:27.2 | Justice! No! No! No! Last Saturday, millions, no peace. |
| 1:32.3 | No peace. |
| 1:33.3 | No peace. |
| 1:34.3 | Last Saturday, millions of protesters took to the streets across the country, rallying against the Trump administration's directives that include a crackdown on immigration and other policies. |
| 1:45.1 | In mid-Octoberl-Lostombed by Donald Trump, in mid-October, Los Angeles County declared its own state of emergency over the federal immigration rates, |
| 1:58.5 | as the push for deportations have caused widespread fear among |
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