Department of Justice Targets Immigrants with Fraudulent Citizenship Applications

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is actively working to revoke the citizenship of immigrants who have criminal records and misrepresented themselves on their applications.

On Friday, the DOJ announced the filing of 12 new lawsuits aimed at denaturalizing individuals accused of serious crimes they tried to conceal while applying for U.S. citizenship.

The offenses include providing support to terrorist organizations, war crimes, and sexual abuse against minors.

According to the Immigration and Nationality Act, U.S. citizenship can be rescinded if it was acquired unlawfully or through the concealment of significant information or willful misrepresentation.

During an announcement, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that anyone who knowingly hides their criminal history or gives false information during the naturalization process will face legal repercussions.

“Those who have committed fraud, violent crimes like sexual abuse, or shown support for terrorism should never have been allowed to become U.S. citizens,” stated Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The Trump Administration is working to rectify these serious breaches of our immigration system. Individuals who intentionally obscure their criminal records will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.”

Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate from the Justice Department’s Civil Division added, “We are pursuing denaturalization cases at an unprecedented pace to restore integrity to the naturalization process. The alarming criminal backgrounds of these individuals confirm they should not have been granted the rights of U.S. citizenship. We are committed to using all available legal tools to pursue those who obtained citizenship fraudulently.”