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CBS News: U.S. Resumes “Neighborhood Checks” to Vet Citizenship Applicants

HeadlineAug 27, 2025

The Trump administration is making major changes to the U.S. citizenship application process by reinstating “neighborhood checks” to vet immigrants. In a memo obtained by CBS News, the administration detailed plans to interview neighbors and colleagues of citizenship applicants, reviving a procedure last used by the George H.W. Bush administration. The government had previously waived neighborhood investigations, instead relying on the FBI to conduct background checks of immigrants. The investigations would focus on the moral character of applicants and whether applicants are “well disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States.”

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