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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 12 June 2018

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APNewsBreak: U.S. launches bid to find citizenship cheaters

By AMY TAXIN cases stemming from the
Associated Press fingerprints probe but pri-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The oritized those of naturalized
U.S. government agency citizens who had obtained
that oversees immigration security clearances, for
applications is launching example, to work at the
an office that will focus on Transportation Security Ad-
identifying Americans who ministration, said Muzaffar
are suspected of cheating Chishti, director of the Mi-
to get their citizenship and gration Policy Institute’s of-
seek to strip them of it. fice at New York University
U.S. Citizenship and Immi- law school.
gration Services Director L. The Trump administration
Francis Cissna told The As- has made these investiga-
sociated Press in an inter- tions a bigger priority, he
view that his agency is hir- said. He said he expects
ing several dozen lawyers cases will focus on deliber-
and immigration officers to ate fraud but some natural-
review cases of immigrants ized Americans may feel
who were ordered deport- uneasy with the change.
ed and are suspected of “It is clearly true that we
using fake identities to later have entered a new chap-
get green cards and citi- ter when a much larger
zenship through naturaliza- number of people could
tion. feel vulnerable that their
Cissna said the cases would naturalization could be re-
be referred to the Depart- opened,” Chishti said.
ment of Justice, whose at- Since 1990, the Depart-
torneys could then seek to ment of Justice has filed 305
remove the immigrants’ civil denaturalization cases,
citizenship in civil court In this Dec. 13, 2017 file photo, L. Francis Cissna, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration according to statistics ob-
proceedings. In some cas- Services, speaks during an interview in Los Angeles. tained by an immigration
es, government attorneys Associated Press attorney in Kansas who has
could bring criminal charg- covered by the agency’s In September 2016, an in- after federal authorities ac- defended immigrants in
es related to fraud. existing budget, which is ternal watchdog reported cused him of using an alias these cases.
Until now, the agency has funded by immigration ap- that 315,000 old fingerprint to avoid deportation. The attorney, Matthew
pursued cases as they plication fees. records for immigrants who Authorities said Singh used Hoppock, agrees that de-
arose but not through a The push comes as the had been deported or had a different name when he portees who lied to get
coordinated effort, Cissna Trump administration has criminal convictions had arrived in the United States citizenship should face
said. He said he hopes the been cracking down on il- not been uploaded to a in 1991. He was ordered consequences but wor-
agency’s new office in Los legal immigration and tak- Department of Homeland deported the next year ries other immigrants who
Angeles will be running by ing steps to reduce legal Security database that is and a month later applied might have made mistakes
next year but added that immigration to the U.S. used to check immigrants’ for asylum using the name on their paperwork could
investigating and referring Immigrants who become identities. The same report Baljinder Singh before mar- get targeted and might not
cases for prosecution will U.S. citizens can vote, serve found more than 800 immi- rying an American, getting have the money to fight
likely take longer. on juries and obtain secu- grants had been ordered a green card and natural- back in court.
“We finally have a process rity clearance. Denatural- deported under one identi- izing. Authorities said Singh Cissna said there are valid
in place to get to the bot- ization — the process of re- ty but became U.S. citizens did not mention his earlier reasons why immigrants
tom of all these bad cases moving that citizenship — is under another. deportation order when he might be listed under mul-
and start denaturalizing very rare. Since then, the govern- applied for citizenship. tiple names, noting many
people who should not The U.S. government began ment has been uploading For many years, most U.S. Latin American immigrants
have been naturalized in looking at potentially fraud- these older fingerprint re- efforts to strip immigrants have more than one sur-
the first place,” Cissna said. ulent naturalization cases a cords dating back to the of their citizenship focused name. He said the U.S. gov-
“What we’re looking at, decade ago when a bor- 1990s and investigators largely on suspected war ernment is not interested in
when you boil it all down, is der officer detected about have been evaluating cas- criminals who lied on their that kind of minor discrep-
potentially a few thousand 200 people had used differ- es for denaturalization. immigration paperwork, ancy but wants to target
cases.” ent identities to get green Earlier this year, a judge most notably former Nazis. people who deliberately
He declined to say how cards and citizenship after revoked the citizenship of Toward the end of the changed their identities to
much the effort would they were previously issued an Indian-born New Jersey Obama administration, dupe officials into granting
cost but said it would be deportation orders. man named Baljinder Singh officials began reviewing immigration benefits.q