Justice Department Seeks to Strip Citizenship from 17 Over Criminal Backgrounds
Seventeen naturalized citizens face potential loss of their American nationality after federal prosecutors uncovered evidence they allegedly secured citizenship while hiding serious criminal histories.
Justice Department Seeks to Strip Citizenship from 17 Over Criminal Backgrounds
Seventeen individuals who previously swore the oath of allegiance now risk watching that status dissolve. Federal litigators lodged paperwork in courts scattered nationwide, asking judges to unwind the naturalization of these defendants on grounds that each procured citizenship through deception while concealing involvement in severe unlawful conduct.
The alleged hidden transgressions span a disturbing spectrum: molestation of juveniles, sophisticated wire and banking schemes, and large-scale pharmaceutical distribution conducted without proper licensing.
Statute provides a clear mechanism for such reversals. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, judges may nullify citizenship certificates whenever evidence shows the defendant obtained that status through illegal means, deliberate hiding of material circumstances, or knowing falsehoods.
Top officials issued forceful statements alongside the filings. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche declared that foreign-born wrongdoers who "game" the pathway to nationality face consequences. He specifically referenced predators, narcotics merchants, and white-collar criminals who mask prior convictions during the application process. Blanche characterized U.S. citizenship as an honor rather than an entitlement, stressing that the current leadership refuses to tolerate abuse of the system.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reinforced that message, asserting that anyone who enters the country, breaks its rules, and then lies to immigration adjudicators effectively waives any claim to permanent belonging. He vowed that his agency would deploy every permissible tool to identify, denaturalize, and expel such persons.
Brett Shumate, heading the Civil Division, delivered a pointed caution to prospective applicants: deception will be discovered and challenged. His unit — the Office of Immigration Litigation — spearheads the court actions, drawing support from USCIS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and nearly a dozen U.S. Attorney's Offices stretching from California to New Jersey.
It bears noting that the accusations remain precisely that — unadjudicated claims without any formal determination of wrongdoing.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Source: DOJ Justice News