The Justice Department has filed civil cases seeking to revoke the U.S. citizenship of 10 naturalized Americans accused of concealing crimes or making material misrepresentations during the immigration process, extending President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown into a legally complex area traditionally reserved for exceptional cases.
The complaints, filed across the U.S. over the past month, target men originally from Mexico, Cuba, Pakistan, Peru and Poland. Justice Department officials said the cases represent the beginning of a broader denaturalization effort, with Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate warning that "many more complaints are coming."
Denaturalization doesn't occur automatically when the government files a complaint. The 10 defendants are facing civil proceedings, remain entitled to contest the allegations and haven't been found liable in the newly filed cases.
According to a Justice Department press release, prosecutors allege the men concealed conduct involving child sexual abuse, healthcare and wire fraud, immigration fraud and a conspiracy to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute. The department's position is that the alleged omissions prevented immigration authorities from properly assessing whether the applicants qualified for permanent residence or citizenship.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche framed the complaints as an effort to protect the integrity of the naturalization system.
"These ten criminal aliens including child sex abusers, a $900,000 Medicare fraudster, and a cocaine trafficker lied their way into U.S. citizenship," Blanche said. "Each of these individuals lacked the good moral character required by law and procured citizenship through wilful 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."
The six defendants identified by the Justice Department as being from Mexico are Ceflo Luviano-Mojica, 60; Urbano Vazquez Ortega, 53; Antonio Alcantara-Ruiz, 53; Omar Cantu-Montalvo, 44; Francisco Montano, 59; and Martin Garcia Cardie, 60.
The remaining defendants are Yoskmaikel Rodriguez Perez, 45, from Cuba; Murtaza Ali, 65, from Pakistan; Jimmy Aguero, 51, from Peru; and Marcin Stanislaw Garbacz, 47, from Poland.
The government is relying on provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act that permit citizenship to be revoked when naturalization was obtained "illegally" or through "concealment of a material fact or by wilful misrepresentation." To prevail, prosecutors generally must establish that the alleged deception was significant to the original decision to grant citizenship.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the government views citizenship obtained through deception as legally invalid.
"When you commit fraud during the naturalization process, you forfeit the right to keep your U.S. citizenship," Mullin said in the Justice Department release. He described the defendants as "drug traffickers, pedophiles, and fraudsters" who had "exploited our immigration system harming real U.S. citizens."
The department's most expansive language came from Shumate, who indicated that investigators are preparing additional cases beyond the 10 complaints already announced.
The Civil Division, Shumate said, "refuse[s] to give a free pass to criminals who cheated their way into American citizenship."
"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," he added.
The announcement marks a significant extension of the administration's immigration-enforcement strategy. Trump officials have already widened enforcement actions involving undocumented immigrants, asylum seekers and some lawful permanent residents; the latest complaints place naturalized citizens under increasing scrutiny as well.
Denaturalization has long been available under federal law, but historically it has been used relatively sparingly, including in cases involving war crimes, serious national-security issues or substantial fraud. A sustained expansion would require the Justice Department to devote significant resources to reviewing old immigration files, comparing them with criminal records and litigating individual cases in federal court.
