An Indian-origin man who had become a US citizen has been stripped of his citizenship following a federal court decision after he was convicted of rape and kidnapping in New York.
Gurmeet Singh, 55, a taxi driver, was reportedly convicted of kidnapping and raping a female passenger at knifepoint in New York in 2011. According to the US Justice Department, Singh was convicted of the violent assault in 2014 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
According to NDTV, Singh’s US citizenship was revoked after authorities alleged that he had concealed his criminal conduct while going through the naturalisation process. He had obtained US citizenship months after the attack.
The US Justice Department said in a statement that Singh had failed to disclose information about the crime while applying for naturalisation.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said Singh, a convicted rapist from India, is no longer a US citizen.
"Gurmeet Singh, a convicted rapist from India, is no longer a US citizen. He concealed a rape and kidnapping during the naturalisation process, and a federal court has now revoked his citizenship," Blanche said.
"This department took this case across the finish line, and we will continue to move expeditiously on denaturalisation referrals. Fraudulently obtained citizenship will not protect criminals from justice.' he added.
NDTV reported that the Justice Department's action is part of a broader effort by US authorities to pursue denaturalisation cases where citizenship is alleged to have been obtained through fraud or by withholding material information.
The case has also drawn attention to the process through which Singh originally entered the United States and later obtained lawful permanent residency before becoming a citizen.
A native of India, Singh entered the United States in February 1992 as a visitor for a temporary period not to exceed six months, according to the US Justice Department.
However, he remained in the United States without authorisation for years, NDTV reported. His immigration status later changed after a family-based immigrant visa petition allowed him to become a permanent resident in June 2000.
According to the Justice Department, Singh subsequently continued living in the United States and eventually applied for US citizenship.
In May 2011, just weeks before he filed his application to naturalise as a US citizen, Singh was working as a taxicab driver when he drove a female passenger who fell asleep during her ride home.
The Justice Department said the passenger had fallen asleep during the journey, after which Singh allegedly took advantage of the situation.
According to the details cited in the case, the incident became the basis of the criminal prosecution that ultimately resulted in his conviction.
NDTV reported that Singh's case is particularly significant because the alleged criminal conduct occurred shortly before he submitted his naturalisation application. The authorities later argued that information connected to the offence was not properly disclosed during the citizenship process.
The Justice Department's denaturalisation action therefore focused not simply on Singh's criminal conviction, but on allegations that he had concealed material information during the process through which he obtained US citizenship.
The revocation of Singh's citizenship came after the US government pursued a denaturalisation case in federal court.
As reported by NDTV, denaturalisation refers to the legal process through which US citizenship obtained through naturalisation can be revoked under certain circumstances, including where the government establishes that citizenship was unlawfully obtained or that significant information was concealed during the naturalisation process.
The Justice Department said Singh's naturalisation was revoked following the federal court proceedings.
The department has increasingly highlighted denaturalisation as an enforcement tool in cases where it alleges that individuals obtained citizenship through fraud, false statements or the concealment of information that could have affected their eligibility.
In Singh's case, prosecutors and federal authorities maintained that his criminal conduct and related information should have been disclosed during his naturalisation process.
NDTV reported that the case also highlights the importance US immigration authorities place on truthful disclosure during citizenship applications.
Singh entered the US more than three decades ago, initially as a visitor, before eventually obtaining permanent residency through a family-based immigration process. His later naturalisation gave him US citizenship, but the federal court has now revoked that citizenship following the government's denaturalisation case.
Singh was subsequently prosecuted over the violent assault involving the female passenger.
According to the US Justice Department, he was convicted in 2014 and received a 20-year prison sentence.
The case remained connected to his immigration history because the US government later examined the information he had provided — or failed to provide — during his application for citizenship.
NDTV reported that the government's case argued that Singh had concealed the rape and kidnapping while applying for naturalisation.
The Justice Department said the federal court's decision means Singh is no longer a US citizen.
Attorney General Blanche also used the case to emphasise the administration's position on citizenship obtained through fraud.
"Gurmeet Singh, a convicted rapist from India, is no longer a US citizen. He concealed a rape and kidnapping during the naturalisation process, and a federal court has now revoked his citizenship," Blanche said.
The Attorney General further stated that the department would continue pursuing denaturalisation referrals involving citizenship that it believes was obtained fraudulently.
Singh's immigration journey began in February 1992, when he entered the United States as a visitor.
The Justice Department said he was admitted for a temporary period of no more than six months. Instead, he remained in the country without authorisation for several years.
His circumstances changed in June 2000, when a family-based immigrant visa petition enabled him to obtain permanent resident status.
NDTV reported that Singh eventually progressed from permanent residency to US citizenship, completing the naturalisation process before the government later challenged his citizenship.
The timing of the 2011 crime and his naturalisation application became a significant element of the government's case.
Singh's citizenship had been granted despite the later criminal conviction, but authorities subsequently alleged that the relevant information had not been truthfully disclosed during his application.
The federal court's denaturalisation ruling has now resulted in the loss of his US citizenship.
The case serves as another example of the scrutiny surrounding naturalisation applications in the United States, particularly when authorities later allege that an applicant concealed information that could have been relevant to their eligibility.
According to NDTV, the US Justice Department has made clear that it intends to continue pursuing cases involving individuals who are alleged to have fraudulently obtained citizenship.
For the Indian diaspora in the United States, the case also underscores the importance of providing complete and accurate information throughout immigration and naturalisation procedures.
While Singh's case involves serious criminal conduct and a subsequent federal denaturalisation proceeding, the Justice Department's stated focus was on the alleged concealment of the rape and kidnapping during the naturalisation process.
Singh, who entered the US from India in 1992 and later became a permanent resident before obtaining citizenship, is now no longer a US citizen following the federal court's decision.