WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice has filed denaturalization actions against 17 naturalized citizens nationwide, accusing them of obtaining U.S. citizenship through fraud or concealing serious criminal conduct, officials said on Monday.
The cases, filed in various federal district courts, target individuals accused of offenses including sexual abuse of a minor, wire and bank fraud, drug distribution and other violations, according to a Justice Department statement. The actions represent the latest step in the administration’s expanded efforts to pursue denaturalization of naturalized citizens who allegedly violated immigration laws during the naturalization process.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the department is working with interagency partners to ensure citizenship is granted only to those who meet legal requirements. “When criminal aliens exploit the naturalization process by breaking the law, there are consequences,” Blanche said in the announcement.
The Justice Department’s Civil Division and U.S. Attorney’s Offices in multiple districts handled the cases, with assistance from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Officials described the effort as part of a broader push to prioritize denaturalization proceedings for cases involving fraud or serious crimes.
Denaturalization is a civil process that requires the government to prove in court that citizenship was illegally procured or obtained through concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation. There is no statute of limitations for such actions. Historically, the government has pursued relatively few denaturalization cases, with an average of about 11 per year between 1990 and 2017, according to prior data.
The latest filings follow earlier actions this year, including efforts targeting individuals accused of concealing terrorist support, war crimes and other offenses. In April, reports indicated the Justice Department had identified hundreds of potential cases for review.
Advocates for immigrants have expressed concerns about the scale of the initiative, while administration officials maintain it upholds the integrity of the naturalization system. Details about the specific identities of the 17 individuals were not fully disclosed in the announcement, and court proceedings are ongoing in the respective districts.
As of Thursday, the cases remain in early stages. No final rulings on the denaturalization actions had been reported. The Justice Department said it would continue to pursue additional cases where evidence supports such proceedings.
