The US revoked naturalized US citizenship of Indian native Baljinder Singh, being the first case of its kind under the Trump administration, NDTV reported.
The Justice Department announced that Judge Stanley R. Chesler of the US District Court for the District of New Jersey entered an order revoking the naturalized US citizenship and canceling the Certificate of Naturalization of Baljinder Singh.
Singh’s immigration status has been reverted from naturalized citizen to lawful permanent resident, rendering him potentially subject to removal proceedings at the Department of Homeland Security’s discretion.
Baljinder Singh, 43, a native of India, arrived at San Francisco International Airport on Sept. 25, 1991, without any travel documents or proof of identity. He claimed his name was Davinder Singh. He was placed in exclusion proceedings, but failed to appear for his immigration court hearing and was ordered excluded and deported on Jan. 7, 1992.
Four weeks later, on Feb. 6, 1992, he filed an asylum application under the name Baljinder Singh. He claimed to be an Indian who entered the United States without inspection. Singh abandoned that application after he married a US citizen, who filed a visa petition on his behalf. Singh naturalized under the name Baljinder Singh on July 28, 2006. Singh has been residing in Carteret, New Jersey.
“The defendant exploited our immigration system and unlawfully secured the ultimate immigration benefit of naturalization, which undermines both the nation’s security and our lawful immigration system,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said in a statement.
“The Justice Department will continue to use every tool to protect the integrity of our nation’s immigration system, including the use of civil denaturalization,” he added.
According to the Justice Department, Singh’s denaturalization is the first case under Operation Janus, a government initiative against fraudulent immigration.
“We appreciate the dedication of our Justice Department partners as we work together to ensure the integrity of our nation’s legal immigration system,” said USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna. “I hope this case, and those to follow, send a loud message that attempting to fraudulently obtain U.S. citizenship will not be tolerated. Our nation’s citizens deserve nothing less.”