Denaturalization Actions Announced by DOJ

On Friday, officials from the Department of Justice revealed plans to pursue the denaturalization of 12 naturalized Americans charged with serious crimes, including murder, terrorism, gun trafficking, marriage fraud, identity fraud, and possession of child pornography.

Attorney General Todd Blanche commented, “If you’re coming to this country with intentions to become a citizen through fraudulent or illegal means, you probably should be worried.” He spoke about the situation this week on CBS News.

Blanche added that they are not targeting any specific group, but hinted that more details would emerge soon, stating, “There are a lot of people who shouldn’t be citizens.”

One individual affected by this action is Ali Yousif Ahmed, 48, originally from Iraq. He came to the U.S. in 2009, claiming his family was targeted by al-Qaeda. However, in 2019, Iraqi authorities requested his extradition, accusing him of being an al-Qaeda leader and involved in the murder of two police officers. Despite these allegations, Ahmed became a U.S. citizen in 2015.

Also included in the list is 75-year-old Óscar Alberto Pelaez, a Colombian priest who admitted in 2002 to sexually abusing children. Another case is Abduvosit Razikov, 46, from Uzbekistan, who reportedly engaged in a fraudulent marriage to gain a green card in 2005. Following this sham marriage, Radzikov divorced in 2010 and became a naturalized citizen in 2012. He later remarried an Uzbek woman in another fake marriage for immigration purposes.

There’s also Khalid Wazani, a 48-year-old Moroccan who risks losing his citizenship granted in 2006 due to his alleged support of al-Qaeda and involvement in a bomb plot targeting the New York Stock Exchange. After becoming a citizen, Wazani transferred tens of thousands of dollars to al-Qaeda and expressed a desire to devote his life to the organization, leading to his conviction in 2010.

Furthermore, the DOJ is targeting Sara Osman Ahmed, 43, from Somalia, who became a citizen in 2007 but later traveled to Somalia to join al-Shabaab and participated in violence against Ethiopians. He was convicted in 2009.

The DOJ’s list includes other cases like:

• Baboukar Mboub (58, Gambia): Involved in the execution of military officers in 1994 while serving in the Gambian army. He became a U.S. citizen in 2011 but has allegedly concealed his past.
• Kevin Robin Suarez (31, Bolivia): Linked to a firearms trafficking scheme immediately after naturalization in 2017.
• Abdallah Osman Sheikh (28, Kenya): Acquired citizenship while hiding his possession of indecent images of minors during the naturalization process.
• Debashis Ghosh (62, India): Engaged in fraud while claiming he had no criminal history during his naturalization interview.
• Pin He (53, China): Obtained citizenship under a different identity after being previously ordered deported.
• George Oyahail (66, Nigeria): Naturalized under a false identity after entering the U.S. in 1986.
• Adeyeye Ariyo Akanbi (65, Nigeria): Concealed his previous deportation and lied about his immigration status to gain citizenship.