Stories
US Launches Historic Denaturalisation Drive Against 40 Individuals
- •The US Department of Justice has launched the largest denaturalisation effort in modern history to strip 40 individuals of their American citizenship.
- •The accused individuals face serious charges including acting as foreign agents, voluntary manslaughter, and espionage-related offences.
- •Balwinder Singh of California is among those targeted for using a fraudulent identity and misrepresentation to acquire US citizenship.
- •China-born former US Navy sailor Jinchao Wei, convicted of espionage and selling military secrets, is also facing citizenship revocation.
- •Other individuals facing denaturalisation actions originate from countries including Pakistan, Mexico, Cambodia, Nepal, and Afghanistan.
Key Questions Answered
The US Department of Justice has initiated denaturalisation actions against 40 individuals who are accused of serious offences, including acting as a foreign agent, voluntary manslaughter, and using fraudulent identities or material misrepresentations to acquire American citizenship illegally.
Jinchao Wei is facing denaturalisation after being convicted in August 2025 of conspiracy to commit espionage, espionage, and unlawful export of defense technical data. He enlisted in the Navy in 2021, began conspiring to sell military secrets to China by February 2022, and obtained his citizenship through expedited provisions for service members in May 2022.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a naturalised citizen's citizenship may be revoked and their certificate of naturalisation cancelled if it was procured illegally, through the concealment of a material fact, or via willful misrepresentation.
