GBH Daily: Before green cards, how did U.S. citizenship work in colonial America?

September 21, 2026

☁️The final day of summer will be cloudy and cool, in the mid-60s, with early-evening rain possible. Sunset is at 6:43 p.m.

Have you ever wondered how people obtained U.S. citizenship when the country was newly formed? Read on to find out. But first: Next time you’re heading to your gate at Logan Airport, you may hear a new voice making announcements. ✈️ MassPort held an open casting call last week at Terminal A as it searched for the next voice of Logan Airport. Hundreds of people waited in line for their shot to read from a prepared script extolling the city’s virtues to visitors from around the world. Traditionally, Logan has used the voices of the mayor or the governor. But MassPort Executive Director Richard Davey says airport leaders wanted something new and authentic.

“We have announcements here at the airport — liquids and where to catch your Uber and whatnot,” Davey said. “And we decided that we should have a more distinctive Boston voice that is welcoming people here at Boston Logan and also giving them instructions about how to get around.”

Four Things to Know

1. Asian longhorned beetle eradicated in Shrewsbury: Massachusetts has notched a victory in its long war against an infamous bug that kills trees. The Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Department of Agricultural Resources said Friday that they have eradicated the Asian longhorned beetle in the town of Shrewsbury. The community will no longer be a part of a special quarantine zone in Central Massachusetts that restricts the movement of wood and tree trimmings in order to prevent the beetle’s spread.

Shrewsbury is the second town, after Holden, that state officials have declared free of the inky-black bug with white spots. Four other Central Massachusetts towns remain on the list.

2. Attorneys accuse Chelmsford immigration judge of bias: On a recent morning at Chelmsford Immigration Court, dozens of immigrants and attorneys crowded into a room. Judge Christopher Cooper was presiding from Detroit, one of the new temporary immigration judges for the court.

What happened over the next few hours — as recounted by several immigration attorneys present — was not routine. Attorneys called Cooper’s conduct biased and said he relied heavily on Department of Homeland Security attorneys to provide reasons to issue pretermissions, essentially ending an immigrant’s asylum case without a hearing at which evidence is presented.

The account of what happened in several hearings that day is based on interviews with seven attorneys who were present.

3. Feds return T safety oversight to state: Federal authorities said Friday that they closed a years-long review of how Massachusetts oversees safety issues at the MBTA, effectively handing the keys back to the state for subway oversight. It’s a major milestone for the MBTA and state regulators in their efforts to improve the transit system’s safety record after a string of dangerous incidents in 2021 and 2022.

“When I took office, the T was in a dire state. After years of underinvestment, workers and passengers alike didn’t feel safe on the rails,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. “Today, the T is safer, more reliable and more affordable for the riders who use it every day.”

4. What ‘public charge’ changes mean for green card applicants: On Friday, the federal government started taking a harder line on green card applicants. The Trump administration will allow officers with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services more discretion during their assessments of green card applications, saying that immigrants who have used public benefits like SNAP and Medicaid will have a more difficult time getting permanent residence.

“When you really take a deep dive into who’s affected, we’re really looking at mixed-status immigrant households,” said Tania Martinez, chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association New England Chapter.

Long before green cards and civics tests, here’s what U.S. naturalization looked like

In the first years after the Revolutionary War, the question of who could become a citizen rarely came up on the new country’s soil. It was instead asked hundreds of miles offshore, when American sailors were stopped by British ships forced to prove which country they belonged to.

“It’s actually a big controversy,” said Nathan Perl-Rosenthal, senior research fellow at Harvard University and author of “Citizen Sailors: Becoming American in the Age of Revolution.”

“The people who really care about citizenship are sailors, because they’re the ones who are out on the ocean having to demonstrate that they are who they say they are,” he said. “And so we actually have massive evidence of naturalizations of sailors.”

Sailors — including free Black mariners — were among the first to ask: who is an American citizen? And what does it take to become one?

Across GBH:

📻 LISTEN: Boston Public Radio, 11 a.m., on GBH 89.7 FM: We feature our conversation with Mary Mazzio, the filmmaker and Olympic athlete behind the new documentary “Mighty Mary,” about the first all-female sailing team to challenge for the America’s Cup.

🧐LISTEN: The Curiosity Desk, 1 p.m., on GBH 89.7 FM: We learn about the financial interests backing this year’s nine ballot questions, with Commonwealth Beacon reporter Chris Lisinski.

🎨 LISTEN: The Culture Show, 2 p.m., on GBH 89.7 FM: Imari Paris Jeffries makes his monthly appearance on “AI: Actual Intelligence.”

📺WATCH: ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Vintage First Finds, 8 p.m., on GBH 2: Travel back to Season One of ROADSHOW to find out what those first treasures are worth today, including an 1895 UNC football and an 1856 Chinese export Canton fire oil painting. Want to learn more about antiques and collectibles? Check out this edition of The Deep Dive to get the scoop on the Brimfield Antique Flea Market, collecting tips and more.

📺WATCH: Pacific Heartbeat: Standing Above the Clouds, 8 p.m., on GBH WORLD: Native Hawaiian mother-daughter activists stand to protect their sacred mountain.

📺WATCH: New York: A Documentary Film, 9 and 10 p.m., tonight and tomorrow on GBH 2: Explore the story of New York with two episodes focusing on the city post-9/11. Produced by Ric Burns.

READ: Love GBH Music? Go behind the scenes, including during a recent visit to GBH Studios by Jon Batiste.

🧑‍🍳COOK: Spicy Feta Dip (Tirokafteri) from Milk Street Television

🎯PLAY: Can you guess how much Antiques Roadshow finds are worth? Test your skills with our daily game.

GBH Daily is written by Gal Tziperman Lotan with contributions by Katrina Ávila Munichiello and edited by Anna Fort and Jackie Bruleigh.