The Trump administration is stepping up efforts to revoke the citizenship of naturalised Americans, with the US Justice Department on Monday filing lawsuits against 17 people accused of obtaining citizenship through fraud or concealing serious crimes.
Among those targeted is a Chinese-born resident of the state of Georgia who prosecutors say hid a prior deportation order and immigration history under a different identity before becoming a US citizen in 2006.
The announcement was accompanied by statements from Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, underscoring the administration’s effort to present denaturalisation as a coordinated immigration-enforcement priority.
Blanche said the Justice Department had “zero tolerance” for abuse of the naturalisation process, while Mullin said the Department of Homeland Security would use “every lawful avenue” to identify people who had fraudulently obtained citizenship. Shumate said the department would continue pursuing individuals who unlawfully procured naturalisation or concealed material facts during the process.
The cases, filed in federal courts across the country, involve allegations ranging from child sexual abuse and drug trafficking to immigration fraud. The department said the lawsuits sought to revoke citizenship from individuals who either illegally procured naturalisation or obtained it through wilful misrepresentation.
In response to a request for comment from the South China Morning Post, the Chinese embassy in Washington said it was not “aware of the specifics” of the case but advised Chinese citizens to adhere to local laws.
“The Chinese government always asks Chinese citizens overseas to strictly observe local laws and regulations,” the embassy spokesperson added.
The filings are among the clearest indications yet that denaturalisation – historically a relatively rare legal tool – has become a higher priority under US President Donald Trump, whose administration has pledged to intensify immigration enforcement and crack down on immigration-related fraud.
The Chinese-born defendant, Victor San Shing Kwok, is accused of concealing a previous immigration case under a different name, Xin Cheng Guo, when applying for permanent residency and later citizenship, according to a complaint filed in federal court in Georgia.
According to the filing, Kwok first sought immigration benefits in 1994 under the name Guo and was later ordered removed after an immigration judge denied his application in 1996.
Prosecutors allege that he failed to leave the country as ordered and later reapplied for immigration benefits using the name Victor San Shing Kwok after marrying a US citizen.
The government alleges that in subsequent applications for permanent residency and citizenship, Kwok failed to disclose his prior immigration proceedings, removal order and use of another identity.
Prosecutors further allege that he falsely stated he had never been ordered deported, never sought immigration benefits under another name and never provided false information to immigration authorities.
According to the complaint, a fingerprint analysis completed in March concluded that Guo and Kwok were the same person.
The Justice Department argues that those alleged misrepresentations rendered Kwok ineligible for naturalisation and require a federal court to revoke his citizenship.
The department said the 17 cases announced on Monday involved defendants originally from countries including China, India, Mexico, Vietnam, El Salvador, Jamaica and the Philippines.
Denaturalisation cases remain uncommon because they require the government to file a civil lawsuit and meet a high evidentiary standard to prove that citizenship was obtained unlawfully.
A successful case can revoke a person’s citizenship and expose them to removal proceedings.
The latest filings follow a series of Trump administration measures aimed at expanding immigration enforcement and increasing scrutiny of naturalised citizens accused of fraud during the immigration process.
--- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
