US Targets 17 for Citizenship Revocation, Including Indian Immigrant

The United States has initiated proceedings to revoke the citizenship of 17 naturalised Americans , including an Indian immigrant accused of visa fraud, in what officials describe as a broader effort to crack down on individuals who allegedly obtained citizenship through deception or concealed criminal conduct.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Monday that the cases involve individuals accused or convicted of a range of serious offences, including visa fraud, child sexual abuse, money laundering, wire fraud and other crimes. The move is part of the government's denaturalisation programme, which allows authorities to strip citizenship from individuals found to have unlawfully obtained it.

Among those targeted is Neeraj Sharma , a 50-year-old Indian immigrant and owner of New Jersey-based staffing company Magnavision LLC. According to the DOJ, Sharma allegedly filed 11 fraudulent H-1B visa petitions , falsely claiming that foreign workers would be employed by a global financial institution. Authorities said supporting documents submitted with the applications contained forged signatures of executives from the institution.

The Justice Department further alleged that Sharma falsely testified under oath during his naturalisation interview in 2017 by concealing prior criminal conduct. He became a US citizen in December 2017 but was later convicted of fraud and misuse of visas for actions that occurred between April 2015 and April 2017.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act , citizenship may be revoked if it was illegally procured or obtained through concealment of material facts or deliberate misrepresentation.

Announcing the latest denaturalisation actions, US officials stressed that citizenship carries responsibilities and can be withdrawn when acquired through fraud. The department said the list of individuals facing proceedings also includes immigrants accused or convicted of child exploitation offences, sexual abuse, drug-related crimes, money laundering and financial fraud.

The cases underscore the administration's intensified scrutiny of naturalised citizens found to have concealed criminal histories or provided false information during the immigration and citizenship process.