Blanche Expands DOJ Denaturalization Drive With 12 New Terror And Crime Cases
The Justice Department launched coordinated denaturalization actions against 12 naturalized Americans on Friday, May 8, 2026, filing civil and criminal cases in federal courts across the country.
The filings allege some defendants hid terror ties, violent crimes or sham marriages when they applied for U.S. citizenship. They include Ali Yousif Ahmed, accused of omitting Iraqi allegations that he murdered two police officers as an al-Qaeda leader before naturalization.[1], Somali-born, pleaded guilty in 2009 to providing material support to al-Shabaab, which DOJ says can trigger revocation. Other named targets include Abduvosit Razikov and Colombian priest Oscar Alberto Pelaez, who was convicted on 13 counts of sexual abuse of a minor and is accused of lying in his application. DOJ also highlighted a separate civil suit against former U.S. diplomat Manuel Rocha that seeks to strip his citizenship after a guilty plea as a Cuban spy. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the prosecutions are part of a "major expansion" and warned those who "intentionally concealed their criminal histories or misrepresented themselves" will face the law; he added only a "very small percentage" of about 24 million naturalized citizens should be worried.
The episode traces back to a denaturalization ramp-up during Donald Trump's first term, when the government moved to identify thousands of possible fraud cases and sharply raise filings. A June 2025 Civil Division memo broadened denaturalization priorities to include financial fraud, gang involvement and other crimes beyond earlier focuses on human-rights abusers and national-security threats. President Trump's April 2026 appointment of Todd Blanche as acting attorney general further set the stage for intensified enforcement. The Justice Department has identified 384 naturalized U.S. citizens for potential denaturalization as of April 2026.
Early coverage by CBS News framed the move as a broad "major expansion" aimed at fraud, with few case details. Later reporting by Fox News and PBS laid out specific allegations of terror ties, murder and sexual-abuse convictions, recasting the campaign as a national-security and public-safety crackdown. Since January 20, 2025 the government has revoked citizenship from 15 naturalized individuals out of 22 denaturalization cases filed through April 2026.
The mainstream summary emphasizes the Justice Department's broad denaturalization actions but overlooks the scale of these efforts. While it mentions 384 identified citizens, it does not highlight that 15 citizenship revocations have already occurred from just 22 cases filed since January 2025, as reported by Newsweek. This statistic indicates a significant success rate in the DOJ's denaturalization efforts, which the mainstream account fails to contextualize.
Additionally, social media commentary reveals a spectrum of public opinion that the mainstream summary does not capture. For instance, @micyoung75 raises concerns about the potential overreach of Acting AG Todd Blanche's authority in determining who should retain citizenship, suggesting a contentious debate around the implications of these actions. Furthermore, logistical challenges are noted, such as the 3.3 million case backlog in immigration courts, which could hinder the DOJ's capacity to manage these denaturalization cases effectively, a nuance absent from the mainstream framing.
Show source details & analysis (4 sources)
📊 Relevant Data
The Justice Department has identified 384 naturalized U.S. citizens for potential denaturalization as part of its expanded efforts.
Justice Dept. Targets Hundreds of Citizens in New Push for Denaturalization — The New York Times
Since January 20, 2025, the U.S. government has revoked citizenship from 15 naturalized individuals out of 22 denaturalization cases filed.
Trump DOJ reviewing 'highest volume' of denaturalization cases — Newsweek
📌 Key Facts
- On Friday, May 8, 2026, the Justice Department launched coordinated denaturalization actions against 12 naturalized Americans from countries including Iraq, Somalia, China, India, Uzbekistan and Colombia (12 naturalized Americans).
- The filings include a case against Ali Yousif Ahmed, who is accused of omitting Iraqi allegations that he murdered two police officers as an al‑Qaeda leader before gaining U.S. citizenship after entering in 2009 (Ali Yousif Ahmed).
- Another defendant named is Somali‑born Salah Osman Ahmed, who naturalized in 2007 and previously pleaded guilty in 2009 to providing material support to al-Shabaab; DOJ says joining a terrorist group within five years of naturalization can be grounds for revocation (Salah Osman Ahmed).
- Additional alleged targets cited by DOJ include Abduvosit Razikov, accused of obtaining citizenship via a sham marriage, and Colombian priest Oscar Alberto Pelaez, who was convicted in the U.S. on 13 counts of sexual abuse of a minor and is accused of lying during the naturalization process (Oscar Alberto Pelaez).
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters he believes there are “a lot of individuals who are citizens who shouldn't be” but said only “a very small percentage” of the roughly 24 million naturalized citizens should be worried if they did not commit fraud (Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche).
- The Justice Department described the new filings as a “major expansion” of its denaturalization campaign, with civil and criminal cases numbering “roughly a dozen” filed in federal courts across the country (major expansion of denaturalization campaign).
- Reporting notes that denaturalization is being re‑emphasized under a 2025 Civil Division memo and Blanche’s leadership after historically modest use (about 305 DOJ cases roughly between 1990–2017, rising to 168 cases during Trump’s first term and dropping under President Biden) (2025 Civil Division memo).
- Separately, on Thursday, May 7, 2026 the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami filed a civil denaturalization complaint against former diplomat Manuel Rocha; Rocha admitted in a 2024 plea to acting as a Cuban spy since the 1970s, is serving a 15‑year federal sentence, prosecutors allege he first contacted Cuban intelligence in 1973 before applying for U.S. citizenship in 1978, and the U.S. attorney said the suit is meant to “finish the job” (Manuel Rocha).
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On Thursday, May 7, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami filed a civil denaturalization complaint to strip former U.S. ambassador and convicted Cuban spy Manuel Rocha of his U.S. citizenship.
- Rocha, a Colombian-born naturalized citizen who moved to New York at age 10, admitted in a 2024 plea to working as a secret agent for Cuba since the 1970s and is serving a 15-year federal sentence.
- Prosecutors allege Rocha first connected with Cuban intelligence in 1973, five years before applying for U.S. citizenship in 1978, and that he lied under oath about believing in the U.S. Constitution and lacking affiliation with the Communist Party of Cuba.
- U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said the denaturalization suit is intended to 'finish the job' after Rocha's criminal conviction.
- The article notes DOJ has recently issued internal guidance prioritizing denaturalization cases involving national security, terrorism and espionage, and that the Trump administration moved this same week to denaturalize 11 additional people tied to serious crimes.
- On Friday, May 8, 2026, DOJ launched coordinated denaturalization actions against 12 naturalized Americans from Iraq, Somalia, China, India, Uzbekistan, Colombia and other countries.
- Cases include Ali Yousif Ahmed, accused of omitting Iraqi allegations that he murdered two police officers as an al-Qaeda leader before gaining U.S. citizenship after entering in 2009.
- Another defendant, Somali-born Salah Osman Ahmed, naturalized in 2007 and later pleaded guilty in 2009 to providing material support to terrorist group al-Shabaab; DOJ says joining a terrorist group within five years of naturalization is grounds for revocation.
- Additional targets include Abduvosit Razikov of Uzbekistan, alleged to have entered a sham marriage to obtain citizenship, and Colombian priest Oscar Alberto Pelaez, convicted in the U.S. on 13 counts of sexual abuse of a minor and alleged to have lied about those crimes in the naturalization process.
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News Digital that those who "intentionally concealed their criminal histories or misrepresented themselves during the naturalization process will face the fullest extent of the law" and said there are "a lot" of U.S. citizens who should not be citizens.
- The article notes denaturalization historically yielded about 305 DOJ cases over 30 years, rose to 168 cases during Trump’s first term, dropped under President Biden, and is now being re-emphasized under a 2025 Civil Division memo and Blanche’s leadership.
- On Friday, May 8, 2026, the Justice Department framed the new filings as a 'major expansion' of its denaturalization campaign targeting foreign-born U.S. citizens accused of fraudulently obtaining citizenship.
- The CBS report specifies that the new civil and criminal denaturalization cases number 'roughly a dozen' and are filed in federal courts across the country.
- DOJ publicly highlighted a parallel denaturalization move against former U.S. diplomat Manuel Rocha, who admitted to acting as a Cuban spy, as part of the same campaign.
- The article restates that between 1990 and 2017 the government filed just over 300 denaturalization cases, averaging about 11 per year, underscoring how unusual the current scale is.
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told CBS News earlier in the week that he believes there are 'a lot of individuals who are citizens who shouldn't be' and said only 'a very small percentage' of the roughly 24 million naturalized citizens should be worried if they did not commit fraud.