The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its newest denaturalization effort, revoking U.S. citizenship from “17 individuals accused of serious offenses — including sexual abuse of a minor, wire and bank fraud, and distributing drugs wholesale without a license.”
Invoking the Immigration and Nationality Act, the DOJ affirmed that “a naturalized U.S. citizen’s citizenship may be revoked, and certificate of naturalization canceled, if the naturalization was illegally procured or procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation,” according to a press release.
AG Blanche Accuses "Criminal Aliens" Of Lying About Past Crimes
“When criminal aliens exploit the naturalization process by breaking the law, there are consequences. Criminal aliens are lying about their past crimes, including drug dealers, sexual predators, and fraudsters,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche commented, according to the DOJ’s announcement on X. “Gaining U.S. citizenship is a privilege and under the steadfast leadership of President Trump, this Department of Justice maintains a zero-tolerance policy for the abuse of this process.”
Alleged Crimes Committed By Naturalized Citizens
In a statement shared on X, the DOJ released a 17-point list of all the “Past Crimes of the Aliens Who Exploited the Naturalization Process.”
In addition to the aforementioned alleged offenses, the list includes “misrepresenting identity to obtain citizenship, manipulating the price and volume of shares of stock, receiving explicit images of minors, conspiring to defraud a tribal casino, concealing a past statutory rape crime.”
DOJ's Recent Effort is the Largest Move To Use Its Denaturalization Powers
According to officials who spoke with CBS News, the DOJ’s effort represents the largest-ever initiative by the U.S. government to use its denaturalization powers.
Historical figures provided by CBS News indicate that from 1990 to 2017, the DOJ filed an average of 11 legal complaints per year seeking to revoke the citizenship of U.S. nationals.
“We continue to work around the clock with our interagency partners to make sure U.S. citizenship is granted to those who truly deserve it,” Blanche affirmed.
