The Department of Justice announced that it filed denaturalization actions in various U.S. district courts against 17 individuals accused of serious offenses—including sexual abuse of a minor, wire and bank fraud and distributing drugs wholesale without a license.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a naturalized U.S. citizen’s citizenship may be revoked, and certificate of naturalization canceled, if the naturalization was illegally procured or procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.
“When criminal aliens exploit the naturalization process by breaking the law, there are consequences. Criminal aliens are lying about their past crimes, including drug dealers, sexual predators and fraudsters. Gaining U.S. citizenship is a privilege and under the steadfast leadership of President Trump, this Department of Justice maintains a zero-tolerance policy for the abuse of this process,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “We continue to work around the clock with our interagency partners to make sure U.S. citizenship is granted to those who truly deserve it.”
“American citizenship is a privilege, and it must be earned honestly. If you come here break our laws and lie in your immigration proceedings, you forfeit that privilege,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “DHS will not stand idly by while Americans are harmed by criminals including sex offenders, perpetrators of fraud and drug traffickers who have exploited our generosity and gamed our immigration system. We will continue to use every lawful avenue to denaturalize and remove aliens.”
“We will not turn a blind eye to those who unlawfully obtained U.S. citizenship,” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Anyone thinking they can defraud the naturalization process should think again. We will continue to pursue anyone who unlawfully or fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship.”
Naturalized citizens being accused include Leidys Delmas Garcia (Age 54/ Cuba); Jean Claude Alfred (Age 68/Haiti); Andrea Marroquin (Age 44/ Colombia); Maria Lourdes Montoya (Age 63/Mexico); Tahir Lekaj (Age 43/ Yugoslavia); Talman Harris (Age 49/Jamaica); Armando Mendoza (Age 39/Mexico); Neeraj Sharma (Age 50/ India); Federico Michel Fermin (Age 54/Dominican Republic); Abdikadir Ali Kadiye (Age 54/Somalia); Victor San Shing Kwok (Age 50/People’s Republic of China); Louise Hunkporti (Age 64/Congo); Fernando Cristancho (Age 69/ Colombia); Ronnie Price (Age 40/Trinidad and Tobago); Rodger George Gurdon (Age 55/Jamaica); Jheromell Obejera Arcilla (Age 39/Philippines); and Milagros Marileisis Acosta Torres (Age 40/Cuba).
These cases were prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation, with assistance from USCIS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Southern District of Florida, Middle District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada and New Jersey.