The Department of Justice announced on Friday efforts to denaturalize 12 individuals in the United States who are accused of misrepresenting their backgrounds during immigration proceedings. Among the 12 the DOJ is seeking to denaturalize are a man convicted of sexual assault against a child, committing terrorist activities while a member of Al-Qaeda, financing Al-Qaeda, and supporting global terrorists, among other charges and accusations. Each of the 12 is accused of concealing this information during their individual naturalization proceedings.
“Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a naturalized U.S. citizen’s citizenship may be revoked, and certificate of naturalization canceled, if the naturalization was illegally procured or procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation,” read a release issued by the DOJ.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said individuals convicted and involved in such “heinous crimes” should not have been naturalized, and would not have been, if they were honest with their background information.
“Individuals implicated in committing fraud, heinous crimes such as sexual abuse, or expressing support for terrorism should never have been naturalized as United States citizens,” said Blanche. “The Trump administration is taking action to correct these egregious violations of our immigration system. Those who intentionally concealed their criminal histories or misrepresented themselves during the naturalization process will face the fullest extent of the law.”
Among those whom the DOJ seeks to denaturalize for their past crimes and dishonesty during the naturalization proceedings are Oscar Alberto Pelaez, a Catholic priest from Colombia, who “sexually abused a child on multiple occasions from the time that child was 14 until he was 17 years old.” Pelaez was convicted on 13 counts of sexual assault against a child in 2002.
There was also Khalid Ouazzani, a Moroccan native who was naturalized in 2006 but allegedly planned with others to bomb the New York Stock Exchange. After becoming an official U.S. citizen, he allegedly sent tens of thousands of dollars to terrorist organizations and swore his allegiance to Al-Qaeda in 2008. There is also Salah Osman Ahmed, who, after being naturalized in 2007, “joined the terrorist group al-Shabaab.” He pleaded guilty to “providing material support to terrorists” in July 2009, said the DOJ.
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Pin He and George Oyakhire, who were from China and Nigeria, respectively, immigrated to the U.S. and became naturalized citizens while assuming false identities, said the Justice Department. Pin’s legal name is Chun Di He, and he was originally “ordered to be removed” under that name in 1992. Meanwhile, Oyakhire arrived in the U.S. in 1988 under his legal name. In 1988, he obtained temporary resident status using the identity Oliver Bennett Oyakhire, according to the Justice Department. By 1996, he had been approved for naturalization under that false name.
“This Department of Justice continues to file denaturalization actions at record speeds to restore integrity in our naturalization process,” said Brett A. Shumate, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The disturbing criminal histories confirm these individuals should have never received the privilege of U.S. citizenship. We remain committed to leveraging every tool available under the law to pursue those who obtain their U.S. citizenship unlawfully.”