The U.S. Department of Justice has moved to strip 17 naturalized people of their U.S. citizenship, citing their criminal records that include sex offenses and healthcare fraud.
The department said on Monday it filed for denaturalization under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The actions come after the DOJ last month sought to strip 12 others of citizenship, and in April the State Department revoked visas of holders working “to undermine our national interests.”
“When criminal aliens exploit the naturalization process by breaking the law, there are consequences,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “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,” Blanche said. “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.”
The individuals facing denaturalization had allegedly lied when they pledged to not breaking the law during the naturalization process.
Among those facing denaturalization are Leidys Delmas Garcia, from Cuba, who was convicted of health care fraud for her part in a scheme that fraudulently billed Blue Cross, Blue Shield over $36.7 million for physical therapy, and Jean Claude Alfred, of Haiti, who was convicted in Florida of “attempted sexual battery upon a child in a familial or custodial relationship.”
Tahir Lekaj, originally from Yugoslavia, was convicted in 2022 of child sexual abuse that took place in 2003, two years before his naturalization in 2005, according to the DOJ. Another individual listed by the department, Talman Harris of Jamaica, was convicted of wire fraud and conspiring to commit securities fraud for manipulating stocks that led to $39 million in losses for investors.
The DOJ also included Armando Mendoza, of Mexico, who plead guilty to receiving sexual images of minors, and Neeraj Sharma, or India, who was convicted of visa fraud for 11 false H-1B visa petitions.
“American citizenship is a privilege, and it must be earned honestly,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “If you come here break our laws, and lie in your immigration proceedings, you forfeit that privilege,” he added.
“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,” Mullin continued. “We will continue to use every lawful avenue to denaturalize and remove aliens.”
