The Trump administration has intensified its efforts to denaturalize and deport individuals who obtained U.S. citizenship through fraudulent means. The Department of Justice announced actions against 10 naturalized citizens who were convicted of serious crimes, including healthcare fraud, wire fraud, immigration fraud, child sex abuse, and drug trafficking. This initiative, described by officials as the "largest denaturalization effort ever," aims to revoke citizenship from individuals who lied to acquire it.
One case highlighted involves Yoskmaikel Rodriguez Perez, a Cuban native who was convicted in January 2020 for operating a fake medical center in Miami. Perez fraudulently billed Medicare over $886,000 for unnecessary prescriptions and services. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018 and now faces denaturalization proceedings.
Two former Catholic priests are also among those targeted. Urbano Vazquez Ortega, a Mexican native, was convicted of child sex abuse and is serving a 15-year sentence for assaulting minors while serving as a priest. He became a citizen in 2017. Martin Stanislaw Garbacz, a Polish native, was convicted of stealing over $250,000 from Catholic parishes and filming a minor. He was sentenced to 117 months in prison and became a citizen in 2014.
Other individuals facing denaturalization include Omar Cantu-Montalvo, a Mexican native convicted of cocaine trafficking, who became a citizen in 2005. Ceflo Luviano-Mojica, also of Mexican origin, is accused of lying on his naturalization application about prior arrests and concealing a firearm. Murtaza Ali, from Pakistan, filed false immigration benefit applications under a pseudonym. Jimmy Aguero, from Peru, faces charges of sexual abuse against his minor stepdaughter. Francisco Montano and Martin Garcia Cardiel, both Mexican natives, are also involved in denaturalization proceedings for child sex crimes. Antonio Alcantara-Ruiz, another Mexican national, is facing action for using fake identification to obtain residency and citizenship.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that these individuals "lied their way into U.S. citizenship" and forfeited their right to remain citizens. He emphasized the Department of Justice's commitment to pursuing denaturalization to uphold the integrity of the naturalization process. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin added that those convicted of crimes and fraud have exploited the immigration system and that the department will use all available tools to denaturalize and remove them.