Washington, July 21 (IANS) A Pakistan-born man accused of using multiple identities to secure US immigration benefits is among 10 naturalised citizens facing denaturalisation as the Trump administration expands what it calls the largest citizenship revocation effort in US history.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced denaturalisation actions filed over the past 30 days against individuals accused of offences ranging from child sexual abuse and healthcare fraud to immigration fraud and cocaine trafficking.
The administration said the complaints seek to revoke citizenship from people who allegedly obtained naturalisation illegally or through concealment of material facts and willful misrepresentation.
The Pakistani national identified by the government is Murtaza Ali, 65, a native of Pakistan. According to the complaint, Ali filed multiple immigration applications using different aliases before obtaining permanent residency and later US citizenship in 2009 under the name “Muhammad Iqbal”. Federal authorities said a fingerprint analysis later determined that applications submitted under different identities belonged to the same individual.
The government said Ali pleaded guilty in 2014 to making false material statements to a US agency after admitting he had filed three separate immigration benefit applications using three different identities.
On July 14, the United States filed a four-count denaturalisation action in the Northern District of Texas, alleging that he procured citizenship through immigration fraud, unlawful acts reflecting adversely on his moral character, false testimony during the naturalisation process, and concealment of material facts.
Announcing the actions, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said: “When you commit fraud during the naturalization process, you forfeit the right to keep your US citizenship. These criminal aliens, comprised of drug traffickers, pedophiles, and fraudsters, lost that right and exploited our immigration system—harming real US citizens. DHS is committed to ensuring we denaturalize and remove these fraudsters with every tool at our disposal.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said: “These ten criminal aliens — including child sex abusers, a nearly $900,000 Medicare fraudster, and a cocaine trafficker — lied their way into US citizenship. Each of these individuals lacked the good moral character required by law and procured citizenship through willful misrepresentations and concealment of their crimes. Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department of Justice will continue to aggressively pursue denaturalization to restore integrity to America’s naturalization process.”
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said the administration intended to expand the effort further. “We refuse to give a free pass to criminals who cheated their way into American citizenship,” he said. “Under this administration, if you defrauded the naturalization process, you will face the full force of the Justice Department. We’ve only scratched the surface — many more complaints are coming.”
The remaining cases involve individuals born in Cuba, Mexico, Peru and Poland. The allegations include Medicare fraud, child sexual abuse, identity fraud, wire fraud and cocaine trafficking. The government noted that the complaints have been filed in federal district courts across the country and stressed that the claims are allegations only, with no determination of liability having yet been made.
–IANS
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