The Justice Department announced Monday that it is seeking to revoke the U.S. citizenship of 10 naturalized citizens who allegedly concealed crimes, including child sexual abuse, fraud, and drug trafficking, during the immigration process.The civil complaints were filed in federal courts over the past 30 days and target people originally from Cuba, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, and Poland. The cases, filed with the assistance of the Department of Homeland Security, mark the latest step in the Trump administration’s expanding denaturalization campaign.“These ten criminal aliens — including child sex abusers, a $900,000 Medicare fraudster, and a cocaine trafficker — lied their way into U.S. citizenship,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
“Each of these individuals lacked the good moral character required by law and procured citizenship through willful misrepresentations and concealment of their crimes,” Blanche added.Among the defendants is Yoskmaikel Rodriguez Perez, a Cuban native who prosecutors said submitted more than $886,000 in fraudulent Medicare claims before becoming a citizen in 2018. He later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare and wire fraud.The department is also targeting Omar Cantu-Montalvo, a Mexican native who joined a conspiracy to distribute more than 10 pounds of cocaine months before applying for citizenship in 2005.Four cases involve sexual offenses against children. They include former priest Urbano Vazquez Ortega, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing children at a Washington, D.C., church, and Martin Garcia Cardiel, who received consecutive terms of 15 years to life after a Utah jury convicted him of 19 counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.The remaining cases include alleged identity and immigration fraud, concealed criminal histories, and crimes committed during periods in which applicants were required to demonstrate good moral character.Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin speaks in the Indian Treaty Room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
