WASHINGTON, DC — Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, was honored today by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) with an Outstanding Americans by Choice recognition presented by USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou. Jaddou gave the recognition to Chishti during a naturalization ceremony for two dozen new U.S. citizens in Philadelphia at the Museum of the American Revolution. The Outstanding Americans by Choice recognition honors naturalized citizens who have made significant contributions to their adopted country through civic participation, professional achievement and responsible citizenship. Past honorees include Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, chef and humanitarian José Andrés and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. “Muzaffar — or Muz as everyone in the immigration world knows him — has left a lasting imprint on immigration policy, as well as legal services, philanthropic investments and services for immigrant families,” said MPI President Andrew Selee. “Being celebrated as an Outstanding American by Choice is a fitting honor for someone who has worked tirelessly to make this country a better and fairer place. All of us at MPI congratulate him on this recognition.” Chishti, born in Kashmir, India and naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1993, has dedicated his life’s work to U.S. immigration policy at the federal, state and local levels and is a nationally recognized expert. Chishti, who also directs MPI’s office in New York based at the New York University School of Law, focuses on immigration policy and law, the intersection of labor and immigration law, immigration enforcement, civil liberties and immigrant integration. He co-authors a popular monthly analysis, the Policy Beat, for MPI’s online magazine, the Migration Information Source. At MPI since 2002, he has spoken extensively on immigration policy issues, testified before Congress and is frequently quoted in national and international media. He is a 1994 recipient of the New York State Governor's Award for Outstanding Asian Americans and a 1995 recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. For more on his career and his Outstanding American by Choice recognition, click here.  (Photo of Muzaffar Chishti and USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou courtesy of the Chishti family.) |
