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IMMIGRATION SEPTEMBER 12, 2025 | The Indian Eye 31

ing their eyes fixated on their mobile ly, personal grievances could come applicants who have already demon- are not only intrusive but also large-
phone until the end of the elevator into play, such as annoyance over strated their commitment to the ly ineffective. They place an undue
ride relieved that they escaped the noisy children or disputes with a United States through legal channels. burden on both applicants and their
need to make polite conversation coop board member, if the applicant By subjecting them to the scrutiny of neighbors, who may be unwilling or
about the weather. is one, over increased maintenance neighbors—who may harbor biases or unable to provide meaningful in-
One wonders too how a USCIS fees or carpeting requirements to personal grievances—this policy risks sights into the applicant’s character.
investigator conducting a neigh- dampen noise. undermining the fairness and integrity Ultimately, this policy shift
borhood visit will breakthrough to The revival of the policy of neigh- of the naturalization process. seems less about ensuring the integ-
a neighbor in a New York building. borhood visits appears to be a calcu- Furthermore, the policy is anach- rity of the naturalization process and
They will first have to get through lated cynical maneuver by officials in ronistic, harking back to a time when more about creating barriers that
security to be allowed to go to the the Trump administration to intro- community ties were stronger and discourage and delay applicants. It
neighbor’s apartment or randomly duce unnecessary hurdles in the path neighbors were more familiar with is a disservice to those who aspire
visit several neighbors. How will they to U.S. citizenship. This policy not one another. In today’s urban and to become contributing members of
knock on all 20 doors on the floor only complicates the naturalization suburban environments, where an- American society and an intrusion
assuming they have passed security process but also serves as an affront to onymity often prevails, such visits into the private lives of individuals.
downstairs? Would the neighbor ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
who may be accosted in a nightie ear- Cyrus D. Mehta, a graduate of Cambridge University and Columbia Law School, is the Managing Partner of Cyrus D. Mehta
ly in the morning even deign to allow
a stranger to visit them to talk about & Partners PLLC in New York City. Mr. Mehta is a member of AILA’s Administrative Litigation Task Force; AILA’s EB-5 Com-
someone they have barely heard of. mittee; former chair of AILA’s Ethics Committee; special counsel on immigration matters to the Departmental Disciplinary
There is also a danger that the neigh- Committee, Appellate Division, First Department, New York; member of the ABA Commission on Immigration; board member
bor may have biases, and such a visit of Volunteers for Legal Services and board member of New York Immigration Coalition. Mr. Mehta is the former chair of the
would also undermine the applicant’s Board of Trustees of the American Immigration Council and former chair of the Committee on Immigration and Nationality
privacy as the neighbor may not have Law of the New York City Bar Association. He is a frequent speaker and writer on various immigration-related issues, including
even realized that the applicant was on ethics, and is also an adjunct professor of law at Brooklyn Law School, where he teaches a course entitled Immigration and
not a US citizen. Consider the sce- Work. Mr. Mehta received the AILA 2018 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award for advancing the practice of immigration law
nario where a neighbor, a staunch
MAGA supporter, has heard rumors and the AILA 2011 Michael Maggio Memorial Award for his outstanding efforts in providing pro bono representation in the
of the applicant’s liberal views—this immigration field. He has also received two AILA Presidential Commendations in 2010 and 2016. Mr. Mehta is ranked among
could be seen as a perfect opportu- the most highly regarded lawyers in North America by Who’s Who Legal – Corporate Immigration Law 2019 and is also ranked
nity to undermine them. Additional- in Chambers USA and Chambers Global 2019 in immigration law, among other rankings.

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