Justice Department Seeks to Revoke Citizenship of 40

The U.S. Justice Department has filed civil complaints seeking to revoke the citizenship of 40 naturalised Americans, alleging they concealed criminal conduct or misrepresented material facts during the naturalisation process. The department announced the cases on October 5, saying the complaints were filed in federal courts between August 21 and October 2. The allegations vary, with cases involving claims of espionage, violent or sexual offences, identity and immigration fraud, fraudulent marriages and healthcare fraud. The filings target people who were born outside the United States and later became naturalised citizens. The Justice Department has not established the allegations in court, and the people named may contest the cases. Under the legal standard described by the department, a court may revoke naturalised citizenship if the government proves it was illegally obtained or secured through concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation. The department cannot revoke citizenship unilaterally; a judge must rule on the civil complaint. The filings therefore do not mean that the 40 people have already lost their citizenship.