Donald Trump’s justice department has moved to strip the citizenship of 40 naturalized citizens accused of crimes in what authorities describe as “the largest” such initiative over a single period during his administration.
US justice department officials on Monday announced the filing of “denaturalization actions” against more than three dozen people alleged to have committed such offenses as “acting as an agent for a foreign government, committing voluntary manslaughter, and aggravated sodomy against a special‑needs man”.
The denaturalization requests in question were submitted in multiple federal courts between 21 August and 2 October, according to the justice department.
The federal Immigration and Nationality Act allows for naturalized US citizenship to be revoked by a federal court if the government proves that it was illegally obtained through concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation.
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A statement attributed to the US attorney general, Todd Blanche, maintained those at the center of Monday’s announcement “concealed critical facts from the US government and represent serious criminal offenders”.
Trump in previous months had reportedly pushed the US justice department to pursue denaturalization cases en masse.
US Justice Department moves to strip citizenship of 40 naturalized citizens
