Trump admin resurrects ‘neighborhood checks’ for citizenship applicants last used in H.W. Bush-era

The Trump administration is restoring an immigration policy that was last used under former President George H.W. Bush's tenure to conduct neighborhood investigations related to immigrants applying for U.S. naturalization, according to a policy memo released Tuesday by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  

"U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is resuming personal investigations of aliens applying for naturalization in accordance with section 335(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act," the memo, dated Aug. 22 but released publicly Tuesday, reads. 

The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act abolished immigration quotas and championed welcoming "those who can contribute most to this country — to its growth, to its strength, to its spirit," according to President Lyndon B. Johnson's remarks at the time of him signing the act into law. 

The administration's revitalization of personal investigations, also called "neighborhood checks," will include U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services requesting information from immigrants seeking naturalization, such as "testimonial letters from neighbors, employers, co-workers, and business associates who know the alien and can provide substantiated information about the alien, including any of the requirements for naturalization." 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is an office under the Department of Homeland Security's umbrella that oversees the nation's legal immigration processing. 

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The memorandum stated that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services "generally waives the requirements for neighborhood investigations" under the 1965 law, and historically had relied instead on FBI background checks to determine an "applicant’s good moral character and eligibility for naturalization."

The personal investigations will now include interviewing a naturalization applicant's neighbors and their employment history stretching back at least a five-year period before an individual applied for naturalization, according to the memo. The checks are to ensure "scrutiny of an alien’s residency, good moral character, attachment to the U.S. Constitution, and disposition to the good order and happiness of the United States."

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Such investigations were last conducted in 1991 under the first Bush's tenure, according to the memo. Similar investigations were carried out on immigrants applying for naturalization as far back as 1802, the memo added. 

"From 1802 to 1981, petitioners for naturalization were required to present two witnesses who could testify to their qualifications for citizenship," the memo stated. "In 1981, Congress eliminated the requirement for witnesses, a change justified in part by the fact that a petitioner’s character could be better determined by an investigation, including a neighborhood investigation, if necessary." 

"However, by 1991, the former Immigration and Naturalization Service had essentially stopped conducting neighborhood investigations," the memo stated. 

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services celebrated the return of the personal investigations. 

Joseph Edlow, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in comment provided to Fox News Digital Wednesday that the office "is working to ensure that only the most qualified applicants receive American citizenship." 

"The Immigration and Nationality Act directs USCIS to conduct personal investigations and incorporating neighborhood investigations will help enhance these statutorily required investigations to ensure that we are meeting congressional intent," he continued. "Americans should be comforted knowing that USCIS is taking seriously its responsibility to ensure aliens are being properly vetted and are of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well-disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States." 

The move is the latest for the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration that spiraled under the Biden administration. 

Democrats increasingly have spoken out against the Trump administration's immigration policies, slamming its mass deportation efforts while ramping up visits to detention centers to draw attention to the facilities, the Associated Press reported.  

"Transparency matters. Oversight matters. Accountability matters," Colorado Democrat Rep. Joe Neguse said in August after visiting a Colorado detention center. "You certainly can expect to see the Democratic members of Colorado’s House delegation continue to lean in on all fronts."