The Department of Justice is pursuing denaturalization proceedings against 40 naturalized Americans accused of obtaining citizenship through fraud, concealment, or other unlawful conduct.
Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the filings this week, describing them as the largest single-period denaturalization effort in the department's history.
The cases target foreign nationals who, according to federal prosecutors, concealed criminal histories or provided false information during the naturalization process.
One case involves 47-year-old Yusmary Shirley Duran Mejia, a Colombian national living in Florida. Prosecutors allege that she concealed a money-laundering conviction when she sought U.S. citizenship.
Another involves 50-year-old Iain Lumsden, a British national residing in Colorado. The government alleges that Lumsden failed to disclose a child-pornography conviction during his naturalization application.
“These individuals lied their way into U.S. citizenship,” DOJ official Brett A. Shumate said. “This administration will continue to pursue the largest denaturalization effort in department history to restore trust and integrity in U.S. citizenship.”
The cases highlight an important distinction: the government is not seeking to revoke citizenship simply because these individuals are foreign-born or because they later committed crimes. The government's allegations center on whether their citizenship was unlawfully obtained through deception or concealment during the naturalization process.
Among the cases announced by the department is that of Gume Roberto Garza, a 59-year-old Mexican national who allegedly entered the United States illegally and assumed the identity of an American citizen named Gerardo Vazquez.
According to prosecutors, Garza used Vazquez's name, Social Security number, and date of birth to obtain a Texas driver's license. He was subsequently arrested multiple times for drug offenses while allegedly using the stolen identity.
When Garza applied for naturalization in 2010, prosecutors say he concealed both his alias and criminal history. In 2013, he pleaded guilty to making a false statement under oath in a naturalization matter.
The DOJ has now filed a complaint seeking to revoke the citizenship it says Garza should never have received.
Another case involves 60-year-old Ramiro Escot Esparza, a Mexican national who became a permanent resident in 1990 and applied for citizenship in 2008.
Federal prosecutors allege that Esparza concealed multiple acts of sexual misconduct involving a minor during his citizenship application and interview. Just months after becoming a U.S. citizen, he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a minor.
The government argues that the alleged concealment made him ineligible for naturalization and provides grounds for denaturalization.
The cases are part of the Trump administration's broader effort to increase scrutiny of the naturalization process and immigration enforcement.
The legal process, however, still matters. These are civil denaturalization actions brought by the federal government, and allegations in a complaint are not themselves a final judicial determination. The government must establish the legal grounds for revoking citizenship in each case.
For the administration, the underlying principle is straightforward: American citizenship obtained through deliberate deception should not be protected merely because the fraud was discovered after naturalization.
The 40 cases now moving through federal courts will put that principle to the test — and signal how aggressively the Justice Department intends to pursue citizenship fraud during the Trump administration.
