The has moved to revoke the citizenship of 40 naturalised Americans accused of concealing criminal histories, providing false information or withholding other material facts during the and naturalisation process.
The cases were filed across federal courts between 21 August and 2 October, according to the Justice Department. The agency described the filings, announced on 5 October, as the largest volume of complaints submitted during a single period under the administration.
The action targets people who were born outside the United States and later became naturalised citizens. The allegations vary from case to case.
They include claims involving serious criminal offences, immigration fraud, identity fraud, fraudulent marriages and failures to disclose previous immigration proceedings.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, citizenship obtained through naturalisation can be revoked if it was illegally procured or secured through the concealment of a material fact or a willful misrepresentation. However, the latest cases are civil complaints and the allegations have not yet been established in court. The Justice Department itself noted that the claims remain allegations.
Among the cases announced by the department is that of Lazaro Eduardo Trujillo Viton, a national accused of concealing his involvement in a healthcare fraud conspiracy and submitting fraudulent Medicare claims.
Prosecutors say the conduct began before he became a citizen and continued through the naturalisation process.
Another case involves -born Andrew Coldicutt, whom the department says misrepresented his criminal history while applying for citizenship. The government alleges he had previously been involved in securities fraud schemes and later faced .
The filings also include Ramon Navarro, a Filipino national accused of entering into a fraudulent marriage to obtain lawful permanent resident status before using that status to pursue citizenship. In another case, -born Assad Jhon Ramim is accused of using another person’s identity for almost three decades before ultimately obtaining US citizenship under that identity.
The announcement comes as the Justice Department has stepped up denaturalisation proceedings this year. In July, the department announced actions against 10 naturalised citizens accused of offences including , healthcare fraud, immigration fraud and drug trafficking. In August, it announced another 25 cases, describing them at the time as part of what it called the largest denaturalisation effort ever.
The latest move also comes alongside a separate crackdown on alleged election offences involving non-citizens. On 5 October, the department announced charges against 16 foreign nationals accused of illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration or falsely claiming to vote.
The cases do not mean the 40 individuals have immediately lost their citizenship. The government must establish its claims through the legal process before naturalisation can be revoked.
For now, the Justice Department’s filings represent allegations, and those named in the cases are entitled to contest them in court.
