Some 25 million people who have obtained American citizenship by naturalisation are at risk of losing it if they commit certain crimes.
In a memo dated June 11 that has just appeared online, the Assistant US Attorney General, Brett Shumate, is directing the Civil Division to prioritise and maximally pursue denaturalisation proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by evidence.
The aim is to promote the pursuit of all viable denaturalisation cases available under law and maintain the integrity of the naturalisation system while simultaneously to make sure of an appropriate allocation of resources.
According to the migration information source, there are about 25 million American citizens who got the status through naturalisation.
If found guilty of certain crimes, “The Department of Justice may institute civil proceedings to revoke a person’s United States citizenship if an individual either ‘illegally procured’ naturalisation or procured naturalisation by “concealment of a material fact or by wilful misrepresentation,” the US Justice Department said.
“The benefits of civil denaturalisation include the government’s ability to revoke the citizenship of individuals who engaged in the commission of war crimes, extrajudicial killings, or other serious human rights abuses; to remove naturalised criminals, gang members, or, indeed, any individuals convicted of crimes who pose an ongoing threat to the United States; and to prevent convicted terrorists from returning to U.S. soil or travelling internationally on a U.S. passport,” it added.
According to the DOJ, at a fundamental level, it also supports the overall integrity of the naturalisation programme by ensuring that those who unlawfully procured citizenship, including those who obtained it through fraud or concealment of material information, do not maintain the benefits of the unlawful procurement.
The cases varied in various categories. They are for individuals who pose a potential danger to national security, including those with a nexus to terrorism, espionage, or the unlawful export from the United States of America of sensitive goods, technology, or information raising national security concerns.
It includes individuals who engaged in torture, war crimes, or other human rights violations; carried out unlawful businesses of criminal gangs, transnational criminal organisations, and drug cartels; and committed felonies that the naturalisation process did not disclose.
The DOJ indicated that individuals who commit human trafficking, sex offences, or violent crimes; engage in various forms of financial fraud against the United States (including Pay cheque Protection Program (“PPP”) loan fraud and Medicaid/Medicare fraud); and commit fraud against private individuals, funds, or corporations will face consequences.
Individuals who obtained naturalisation through government corruption, fraud, or material misrepresentations, and who do not fit into other priority categories, will receive attention.
This is part of President Donald Trump’s policy of fighting drugs and violent gangs among people he claims came to the US under dubious means.
He had signed an executive order in which he ended naturalisation by birth for children whose parents are not Americans.
However, most of his executive orders have been challenged in court.
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