The Trump administration has begun a fresh push to revoke the citizenship of some foreign-born Americans, filing new denaturalisation cases against people accused of fraud, terrorism links and financial crimes.

The US Department of Justice announced on Friday that it had opened proceedings against about a dozen naturalised citizens, including an Indian-origin businessman accused of defrauding investors of millions of dollars.

According to officials, the individuals either hid important information during their immigration process or were involved in activities that could have prevented them from becoming US citizens.

One of the cases involves Debashis Ghosh, a native of India, who is accused of running an investment fraud scheme worth about $2.5 million.

The Justice Department alleged that Ghosh conspired to defraud investors before obtaining US citizenship and continued the scheme after becoming a citizen by falsely presenting the location and handling of investor funds.

The latest actions also target people accused of terrorism-related offences, war crimes and firearms trafficking.

Officials said the cases were filed by the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation in partnership with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services and federal prosecutors across several states.

Denaturalisation, the legal process used to revoke citizenship obtained through naturalisation, is uncommon and requires approval through federal courts.

Between 1990 and 2017, US authorities filed slightly more than 300 denaturalisation cases, averaging around 11 cases yearly, making the recent increase significant.

To succeed in court, the government must prove that a person intentionally misrepresented facts or concealed important information during the naturalisation process.

The Trump administration has increasingly used denaturalisation as part of its broader immigration enforcement policy. Officials maintain that citizenship obtained through deception “undermines the integrity of the immigration system” and should be revoked when proven in court.

Although the current cases do not involve individuals from Pakistan or other South Asian countries, the inclusion of an Indian-origin defendant is expected to attract attention across South Asian communities in the United States.

Many within immigrant communities see the move as part of tighter immigration enforcement affecting all naturalised citizens rather than targeting any specific nationality.

The announcement also comes as US authorities strengthen immigration checks through expanded background reviews and renewed examinations of old immigration files for possible fraud.

Civil liberties groups have previously warned that broader denaturalisation efforts could create fear among immigrant communities and discourage eligible residents from applying for citizenship.

Officials did not disclose how many of the ongoing cases could eventually lead to criminal prosecution or deportation. (TRIBUNE)