A Moroccan-born American citizen accused of allegedly having links to al-Qaida is among a group of people now facing the loss of their U.S. citizenship as the Trump administration expands a controversial crackdown on naturalized Americans.
The U.S. Justice Department announced new denaturalization cases in federal courts across the country, targeting around a dozen foreign-born citizens. Officials claim the individuals either lied during the immigration process, committed serious crimes, or had ties to extremist groups.
The move is part of a much wider campaign launched by President Donald Trump’s administration to strip citizenship from people who became Americans through naturalization.
Denaturalization, the legal process of canceling someone’s citizenship, has historically been very rare in the United States. But officials now say they want to use it far more aggressively.
The Justice Department’s new list includes people originally from countries such as Somalia, Iraq, Nigeria, India, Colombia, Gambia, Kenya, China, Uzbekistan and Morocco.
Among the cases are a Somali-born man who admitted supporting al-Shabaab, a group labeled as terrorist by the U.S.; a former Gambian police officer accused of involvement in war crimes; and a Colombian-born Catholic priest convicted of sexually abusing a minor.
Other people targeted are accused of immigration fraud, including using fake identities or entering sham marriages to obtain legal status in the U.S.
In another major case announced separately, U.S. authorities are also trying to revoke the citizenship of Manuel Rocha, a former American diplomat who admitted working as a spy for Cuba.
Under U.S. law, the government can revoke citizenship if it proves someone obtained it illegally or by hiding important information during the immigration process. If citizenship is removed, the person usually returns to permanent resident status and can then face deportation.
The Trump administration says the campaign is aimed only at people involved in serious wrongdoing. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the effort this week, saying there are “a lot of individuals who are citizens who shouldn’t be.”
Blanche also tried to reassure millions of naturalized Americans living in the U.S., saying only a “very small percentage” of citizens should be concerned.
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