politics
Justice Department Files Denaturalization Cases Against 12 Naturalized Citizens
The Trump administration announced a dozen new cases on May 8, 2026, targeting individuals accused of concealing ties to terrorism, war crimes, espionage and sexual abuse of minors. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said those who obtained citizenship through fraud should be worried. The action continues a sharp increase in such cases from the first Trump administration.
May 8, 7:26 PM·2m read6 sources
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U.S. citizens accused of crimes, immigration fraud and ties to terrorist groups. The Trump administration described the filings as a major expansion of its denaturalization campaign, targeting people it says would never have received citizenship had their actions been known at the time.
U.S. citizen in 1978, is among those targeted. Rocha acted as a spy for Cuban intelligence as far back as 1973. U.S.
Ambassador to Bolivia. " Khalid Ouazzani, a 48-year-old native of Morocco who naturalized in 2006, faced charges even though he had already been working with al Qaeda, including assisting in a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange. The government alleges that his actions contradicted the pledge of allegiance to the Constitution he made during naturalization.
U.S. authorities. U.S.
Citizenship after claiming he fled Iraq in 2009 because al-Qaeda terrorists attacked his family. Iraq sought his extradition in 2019 for allegedly murdering two Iraqi police officers while a leader in al-Qaeda, a detail authorities say he omitted. Salah Osman Ahmed of Somalia naturalized in 2007 and pleaded guilty in 2009 to providing material support for terrorists; he belonged to the terrorist group al-Shabaab.
The Justice Department said joining such a group within five years of naturalization provides grounds for revocation. Abduvosit Razikov from Uzbekistan allegedly entered into a sham marriage to gain citizenship. Oscar Alberto Pelaez, from Colombia, is a Catholic priest convicted in the United States of 13 counts of sexual abuse of a minor, including sodomy; authorities say he lied about those crimes during the naturalization process.
The full list of 12 cases also includes individuals from China and India accused of similar concealment of serious offenses. " He told Fox News Digital that anyone who intentionally concealed their criminal histories or misrepresented themselves during the naturalization process will face the fullest extent of the law.
