US widens drive to revoke citizenship of foreign-born Americans

The US Department of Justice said it had initiated proceedings against roughly a dozen naturalised citizens, including an Indian-origin businessman accused of defrauding investors of millions of dollars. Officials argued the individuals either concealed material facts during their immigration proceedings or engaged in conduct that would have disqualified them from obtaining US citizenship. Among the cases cited by authorities is that of Debashis Ghosh, a native of India, accused of orchestrating an investment fraud scheme involving approximately $2.5 million. According to the Justice Department, Ghosh allegedly conspired to defraud investors before becoming a US citizen and continued the scheme after his naturalisation by misrepresenting the location and handling of investor funds. The broader crackdown also targets individuals accused of terrorism-related activity, war crimes, and firearms trafficking. The cases were filed by the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation in coordination with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and federal prosecutors in multiple states, officials said. Denaturalisation — the process of revoking citizenship obtained through naturalisation — is a rare and legally demanding procedure that requires action in federal court. Between 1990 and 2017, US authorities filed just over 300 such cases, averaging about 11 annually, making the current expansion notable in scale. The government faces a high legal threshold, as it must demonstrate