US citizenship revocation proceedings target 17 people, including New Jersey staffing firm owner

The US government said on Monday that it had begun court action to cancel the citizenship of 17 naturalised Americans. The group included an Indian immigrant and others accused of serious crimes. The Department of Justice said the cases formed a new round of denaturalisation efforts under existing immigration law.

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One of the 17 people was 50-year-old Neeraj Sharma, who ran Magnavision LLC in New Jersey. The Department of Justice said Sharma allegedly signed and filed 11 false H-1B visa petitions. The filings claimed the workers would join a global financial institution, supported by letters with forged executive signatures.

US citizenship revocation proceedings under the Immigration and Nationality Act

The Department of Justice said Sharma applied for naturalisation in 2017. Prosecutors said Sharma "falsely testified under oath\" during the naturalisation interview. The department said Sharma became a US citizen in December 2017. Sharma was later convicted of fraud and visa misuse linked to April 2015 to April 2017 conduct.

Officials pointed to the Immigration and Nationality Act as the legal basis for these cases. The law allows revocation when naturalisation was illegally obtained. It also applies when key facts were hidden. The statute also covers willful misrepresentation, and it permits cancellation of the naturalisation certificate.

US citizenship revocation statements from Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department

\"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 Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in a statement.

\"When criminal aliens exploit the naturalisation process by breaking the law, there are consequences. Criminal aliens are lying about their past crimes, including drug dealers, sexual predators, and fraudsters. Gaining US 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 will not turn a blind eye to those who unlawfully obtained US citizenship,\" Assistant Attorney General Brett A Shumate of the Justice Departments Civil Division.

US citizenship revocation cases include fraud and child sex abuse allegations

The Department of Justice said the latest cases also covered several other alleged offences. They included a Haitian immigrant accused of sexually abusing a daughter. Another case involved a man from the former Yugoslavia convicted of abusing a child under 15. Officials also cited a Mexico-born immigrant convicted of receiving sexually explicit images of minors.

Other targets included a former Catholic priest born in Colombia, who was accused of child sex abuse. The list also included a Filipino-born man who pleaded guilty to a child sex crime. The department also named the daughter of a Colombian drug trafficker, who was accused of money laundering.

Authorities also cited alleged fraud-linked cases among those facing citizenship loss. They included a Jamaica-born man convicted of wire fraud. Another case involved a Cuban-born woman accused of defrauding a tribal casino. The Department of Justice said these matters were part of proceedings to revoke citizenship and cancel naturalisation documents.

With inputs from PTI