The Trump administration is set to announce a major escalation in its anti-immigration crackdown, as it will move to revoke the citizenship of 17 naturalized US citizens accused of immigration fraud and serious crimes, including sex crimes and financial misconduct.According to CBS News, the US Department of Justice describes the move as the largest ever use of US citizenship powers.Revocation of citizenship allows the United States government to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans if they are found to have obtained it through fraud or concealment, such as concealing criminal activity during the application process. However, the process is rare and complicated and requires the government to convince federal judges in civil or criminal court.The Justice Department said that between 1990 and 2017, the department filed an average of only 11 cases per year seeking to revoke citizenship. They added that the current campaign represents a significant expansion of this approach, with priorities expanded in 2025 to include more categories of naturalized citizens.Last month, officials filed dozens of similar cases, which at the time was considered the largest effort in years.
The 17 individuals targeted in the latest round include people convicted or accused of committing a range of crimes. These crimes include violence and sexual crimes against children, fraud-related crimes, and immigration-related deception.Among the people named in the federal files are a Haitian immigrant accused of sexually assaulting his daughter; Former Catholic priest born in Colombia accused of child sexual abuse; A man from the former Yugoslavia was convicted of sexually assaulting a child under 15 years of age; A Filipino-born man pleaded guilty to a child sex offence; An immigrant from Mexico was convicted of receiving sexually explicit images of minors.Others include an Indian immigrant accused of filing fraudulent H-1B visa petitions; A Jamaican-born man was convicted of wire fraud; a Cuban-born woman accused of defrauding a tribal casino; the daughter of a Colombian drug trafficker accused of money laundering; Many individuals are accused of using false identities to obtain citizenship.Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department would take a tough stance on such cases.“Foreign criminals lie about their past crimes, including drug dealers, sexual predators and con artists,” Blanche said.Those facing being stripped of their citizenship are allowed to challenge the government’s case in court. If individuals are stripped of citizenship, they will return to their previous immigration status, usually lawful permanent residency, and may then face deportation and loss of their full rights as U.S. citizens.
