U.S. moves to strip citizenship of 40 people

Michael Loria

USA TODAY

The Department of Homeland Security is moving to strip U.S. citizenship from 40 people accused of crimes, rapidly expanding the department’s use of little-known denaturalization mechanisms.

'Today’s announcement marks the largest denaturalization effort in modern history,' Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement announcing the denaturalization crackdown. 'From an individual convicted of espionage to others convicted of sexual offenses against minors, these defendants concealed critical facts from the U.S. government and represent serious criminal offenders.'

Among the crimes that people were convicted of – and for which they face denaturalization – were aggravated sodomy, transportation of child pornography and sexual abuse of a minor.

However, not all were convicted of or pleaded guilty to violent crimes. At least 19 faced denaturalization proceedings for reasons related to accusations of lying on visa forms.

The 40 people come from around the globe, with the greatest number from Mexico, 11, according to a list shared by DHS. They range in age from 26 to 76. The denaturalization cases cover a period from Aug. 21 to Oct. 2, the department said.

DHS referred questions about the status of the denaturalization cases to the Department of Justice, saying the DOJ 'is the lead agency for denaturalization cases.' USA TODAY reached out to the DOJ for more information.

The move to strip citizenship from 40 people over the course of six weeks marks the greatest number of attempted denaturalizations seen in recent years and amounts to more than the past several years combined, according to data compiled by researchers at the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse data project, or TRAC.

'Denaturalization, once a rare occurrence in federal courts, is now becoming increasingly common,' TRAC researchers said in a June report on the issue. 'This increase is expected to continue.'

According to reporting by the New York Times, there were 11 denaturalization cases on average annually between 1990 and 2017.

The youngest person on the DOJ’s list of pending denaturalizations is 26-year-old Jinchao Wei of China, who was convicted of selling military secrets to China. The oldest is 76-year-old Raul Cisneros of Mexico, who in California pleaded guilty to 'lewd and lascivious acts on a minor.' The DOJ said Cisneros lied in becoming a citizen by saying he never committed a crime.

Several of the people the DOJ is attempting to strip citizenship from were not convicted of violent offenses but were accused of lying on naturalization forms. Among them is Walid Osman, a 62-year-old native of Egypt.

'The DOJ’s filing is riddled with errors and speculation. Mr. Osman has no criminal record to speak of, and will vigorously defend this case in court,' Osman’s attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, told USA TODAY.

When asked whether Osman was in ICE custody, Sandoval-Moshenberg said, 'No, he’s a U.S. citizen, and we’re going to fight to keep it that way.'

ICE officers secure the entrance to the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29. The move to strip citizenship from 40 people marks the greatest number of attempted denaturalizations seen in recent years.

Shannon Stapleton/REUTERS