Denaturalization Efforts by USCIS
The Trump administration has launched an office that specifically focuses on identifying immigrant individuals who are suspected of having obtained their legal permanent residency through fraudulent means. The focus of this new office is to “denaturalize” these individuals, i.e. to revoke the individual’s U.S. citizenship status.
In September 2016, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report finding that USCIS had granted U.S. citizenship to more than 800 ineligible individuals who, according to the office, had obtained the requested benefit due to a lack of proper digital fingerprint records. OIG now recommends that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) finish uploading the digital repository of fingerprints identified so that DHS may resolve these cases.
From 2004 to 2016, denaturalization cases pursued by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) averaged at 46 cases yearly. In the last two (2) years, prosecutors have doubled the amount of cases filed yearly. In fact, in a budget requested by this office for FY 2019, the administration requested more than $200 million to investigate denaturalization leads.
For more information on denaturalization efforts and how it may potentially impact a case, please contact the office of Monty & Ramirez, LLP to speak to an experienced immigration attorney at 281-493-5529 or via email at info@montyramirezlaw.com.
Originally published in the M&R Insider newsletter on Family Immigration. Sign up today!