Nine Muslim men from the Chicago region have filed a lawsuit alleging the U.S. government violated their civil rights by delaying their citizenship requests.

They say they passed their citizenship interviews months ago and accuse the government of stalling.

Heena Musabji is with the Council on American-Islamic Relations and represents the plaintiffs.

She says such delays aren’t uncommon for Muslim men.

“It seems that a disproportionate number of applicants from predominantly Muslim countries may have their swearing in ceremonies delayed significantly longer than others that are similarly situated,” Musabji says.

Musabji says the delays keep the immigrants from voting and applying for some government jobs.

A representative of the local U.S. Attorney’s Office says the government will file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit later today.

A status hearing for the case will be held in September.