DOJ moves to denaturalize 10 criminals, says more are coming
The Justice Department has announced efforts to revoke the U.S. citizenship of 10 naturalized individuals accused of concealing crimes such as child sexual abuse,fraud,and drug trafficking during their immigration process.Civil complaints filed in federal courts over the past month target people from countries including Cuba, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, and Poland, representing a continuation of the Trump administration’s aggressive denaturalization campaign. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that these individuals lied to obtain citizenship thru misrepresentations and concealment of their criminal histories. Notable cases include a Cuban who fraudulently claimed Medicare funds and later pleaded guilty, a Mexican involved in cocaine distribution before citizenship, and two individuals convicted of sexual offenses against children. Homeland Security Secretary markwayne Mullin emphasized that those who commit fraud or crimes to secure citizenship forfeit their rights and exploited the immigration system. The legal framework allows courts to revoke citizenship obtained illegally or via deception, but defendants are not automatically stripped of citizenship without court orders. This initiative follows previous efforts in June and earlier years, with the number of denaturalization cases increasing significantly during president Trump’s tenure, reflecting a broader push to address fraudulent entries and criminal misconduct among naturalized citizens. Assistant Attorney general Brett Shumate indicated additional cases are forthcoming, signaling ongoing enforcement measures.
The Justice Department announced Monday that it is seeking to revoke the U.S. citizenship of 10 naturalized citizens who allegedly concealed crimes, including child sexual abuse, fraud, and drug trafficking, during the immigration process.
The civil complaints were filed in federal courts over the past 30 days and target people originally from Cuba, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, and Poland. The cases, filed with the assistance of the Department of Homeland Security, mark the latest step in the Trump administration’s expanding denaturalization campaign.
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“These ten criminal aliens — including child sex abusers, a $900,000 Medicare fraudster, and a cocaine trafficker — lied their way into U.S. citizenship,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
“Each of these individuals lacked the good moral character required by law and procured citizenship through willful misrepresentations and concealment of their crimes,” Blanche added.
Among the defendants is Yoskmaikel Rodriguez Perez, a Cuban native who prosecutors said submitted more than $886,000 in fraudulent Medicare claims before becoming a citizen in 2018. He later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare and wire fraud.
The department is also targeting Omar Cantu-Montalvo, a Mexican native who joined a conspiracy to distribute more than 10 pounds of cocaine months before applying for citizenship in 2005.
Four cases involve sexual offenses against children. They include former priest Urbano Vazquez Ortega, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing children at a Washington, D.C., church, and Martin Garcia Cardiel, who received consecutive terms of 15 years to life after a Utah jury convicted him of 19 counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
The remaining cases include alleged identity and immigration fraud, concealed criminal histories, and crimes committed during periods in which applicants were required to demonstrate good moral character.
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“When you commit fraud during the naturalization process, you forfeit the right to keep your U.S. citizenship,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in an accompanying press release. “These criminal aliens, comprised of drug traffickers, pedophiles, and fraudsters, lost that right and exploited our immigration system—harming real U.S. citizens.”
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a federal court may revoke citizenship if naturalization was illegally obtained or procured through concealment or willful misrepresentation. The complaints are civil allegations, and none of the defendants will lose citizenship unless a court orders its revocation.
Monday’s announcement follows the DOJ’s move in June to seek the denaturalization of 17 people accused of similar misconduct. The department also secured two denaturalizations in March and filed another case involving alleged marriage fraud.
Between 1990 and 2017, the DOJ filed 305 denaturalization cases, averaging roughly 11 per year. The pace increased during President Donald Trump’s first term, when 168 cases were filed, compared with 64 during the Biden administration that followed.
Already in the first two years of his second term, Trump’s administration has moved to denaturalize more than 56 individuals, according to TRAC Immigration data.
“We’ve only scratched the surface,” Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said Monday. “Many more complaints are coming.”
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