US launches 'largest denaturalisation effort,' targets 40 including Indian-origin man

The US Justice Department has launched what it described as the largest denaturalisation drive in modern American history, seeking to revoke the citizenship of 40 naturalised Americans, including a person of Indian origin, ANI reported on Wednesday.

The individuals are facing denaturalisation proceedings in federal courts over alleged serious offences, including acting as an agent of a foreign government, voluntary manslaughter and aggravated sodomy involving a person with special needs.

The cases also include allegations that applicants concealed material facts or misrepresented information to obtain US citizenship, the report said.

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Attorney General Todd Blanche said the move marked the “largest denaturalisation effort in modern history”, while Assistant Attorney General Brett A Shumate said the administration would continue pursuing cases involving people who allegedly “lied their way into US citizenship”.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, citizenship obtained unlawfully or through deliberate concealment or misrepresentation can be revoked, as per the report.

One of the cases involves California resident Balwinder Singh, who allegedly used different identities in immigration applications. The Justice Department said that Singh applied for immigration benefits in 1992 under the identity of Balwinder Singh and later obtained permanent residency in 2003 under another identity.

He naturalised in 2009 using the second identity, with the department alleging multiple misrepresentations and unlawful acts.

The Department is also seeking to denaturalise Jinchao Wei, a former US Navy sailor born in China who was convicted in 2025 of espionage-related offences.

Wei enlisted in the Navy in 2021 and was accused of conspiring to provide classified military information to Beijing from February 2022. He obtained US citizenship in May 2022 under provisions allowing expedited naturalisation for eligible military personnel.

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Wei was sentenced to 200 months in prison following his conviction for conspiracy to commit espionage, espionage and unlawful export of technical data related to defence articles. He was also dishonourably discharged from the Navy, the report added.

The Justice Department said denaturalisation proceedings had also been initiated against naturalised citizens from Pakistan, Mexico, Cambodia, Nepal and Afghanistan as part of the broader effort. The department said the cases involved allegations of fraud, concealment or misrepresentation during the naturalisation process.