Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Justice Department has launched legal proceedings to revoke the citizenship of Gurmeet Singh, an Indian-origin man who obtained naturalized citizenship in 2011 while concealing serious violent crimes from immigration authorities. Singh was later convicted of rape in the first degree and kidnapping in the second degree, prompting federal officials to pursue denaturalization on five independent legal grounds.
The case underscores the government's aggressive new push to strip citizenship from those who commit heinous crimes and misrepresent facts during the naturalization process.
Key Facts
• Gurmeet Singh obtained U.S. citizenship in October 2011 but concealed that he had kidnapped and raped a female taxicab passenger, crimes for which he was convicted years later and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
• The Department of Justice filed a civil denaturalization action in the Eastern District of New York on February 2-3, 2026, citing five separate grounds including lack of good moral character, unlawful acts, false testimony under oath, and willful misrepresentation of material facts.
• Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a naturalized U.S. citizen's citizenship may be revoked if the naturalization was illegally procured or obtained through concealment of material facts or willful misrepresentation.
The crime that led to Singh's eventual conviction occurred when he drove his female passenger to a secluded street after she fell asleep in the backseat of his taxicab. Singh then placed a knife to her throat, bound and gagged her, blindfolded her, and sexually assaulted her while demanding she stop resisting.
The victim's account revealed the brutality of the attack and Singh's calculated predatory behavior.
During his naturalization interview and application process, Singh deliberately concealed and misrepresented his prior criminal conduct to federal authorities. He provided false testimony under oath, specifically about his violent crimes, which would have rendered him ineligible for citizenship had the truth been known.
Immigration officials had no knowledge of his actions when they approved his naturalization petition.
After becoming a naturalized citizen, Singh was eventually arrested and convicted in New York State courts of Rape in the First Degree and Kidnapping in the Second Degree as a sexually motivated felony. He received a 20-year prison sentence, a substantial punishment reflecting the severity of his violent crimes.
The conviction itself provided the evidence needed for federal authorities to pursue denaturalization.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated that
These remarks signal a significant escalation in government efforts to identify and pursue denaturalization cases.
The government's legal complaint argues that Singh lacked the requisite good moral character to naturalize due to his violent crimes and his deliberate false statements. Prosecutors contend that Singh
The case represents a broader administration effort to challenge what officials view as weaknesses in the citizenship system.
If the court rules in favor of the government, Singh's Certificate of Naturalization will be cancelled and he will be permanently enjoined from claiming any rights, privileges, or benefits obtained through his 2011 naturalization. The judgment would be made retroactive to the original date of his certificate, effectively erasing his legal status as a U.S. citizen.
Singh would be required to surrender his naturalization certificate within ten days of the final judgment.
Do You Know?
The Trump administration is planning a dramatic escalation in denaturalization efforts, instructing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to identify 100 to 200 denaturalization cases every month during fiscal year 2026—a massive jump from just over 120 cases filed in total since 2017. Critics worry that numerical targets could sweep up individuals who made minor or long-past paperwork errors, though officials defend the move as necessary to restore integrity to the immigration system.
Key Terms
• Denaturalization: A legal process by which the U.S. government revokes the citizenship of a naturalized American, typically due to fraud, serious crimes, or misrepresentation during the naturalization process.
• Good Moral Character: A legal standard required for naturalization that examines an applicant's conduct, honesty, and fitness to become a U.S. citizen; crimes involving moral turpitude can disqualify applicants.
• Willful Misrepresentation: The deliberate act of providing false information or concealing material facts during an official proceeding, such as a naturalization interview, with the intent to obtain a benefit.
• Naturalization: The legal process by which a foreign national becomes a U.S. citizen, typically requiring residency, language proficiency, civics knowledge, and demonstration of good moral character.
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