Neil Young’s efforts to secure American citizenship were repeatedly hindered by Donald Trump‘s first administration, according to Daryl Hannah.
“They tried every trick in the book to mess him up, and made him keep coming back to be re-interviewed and re-interviewed,” said Hannah, who’s been married to Young since 2018, in a new interview with the BBC. “It’s ridiculous [because] he’s been living in America and paying taxes here since he was in his 20s.”
A representative for the White House did not immediately return a request for comment.
Young was born in Toronto, crossed the U.S. border illegally in a Pontiac hearse in 1966, and spent much of his early career — including stints in Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young — working without papers. He eventually secured a green card in 1970, and finally got around to applying for full citizenship nearly five decades later.
But the process was not easy. While Hannah’s comments are the first time anyone’s suggested the White House allegedly interfered with the process, Young revealed in 2019 that his application was being delayed because of a “good morale character” clause.
At the time, Young wrote on his website, “I have been told that I must do another test, due to my use of marijuana and how some people who smoke it have exhibited a problem.” He went on to cite an addition Trump’s first Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, made to the “good morale character” by-laws, cautioning that “certain marijuana related activities” could impact efforts to attain citizenship.
Young went on to quip, “I sincerely hope I have exhibited good moral character and will be able to vote my conscience on Donald J. Trump and his fellow American candidates, (as yet un-named).”
Despite the hiccup, Young was eventually successful, attaining his citizenship in January 2020. He celebrated with a photo of him registering to vote as a Democrat, captioned, “I’m happy to report I’m in!”
But Trump’s return to the White House, and his extreme crackdown on immigration — including the detainment and deportation of valid visa and green card holders — has instilled some new fears into Young. He’s set to tour Europe this year, and has expressed concern that he could face issues upon returning to the U.S. because of his frequent criticism of Trump.
Hannah, however, is hopeful he won’t face any issues, saying, “They’ve been detaining people who have green cards or visas — which is hideous and horrifying — but they have not, so far, been refusing to let American citizens back in the country, so I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
