Kansas Man Faces Denaturalization For Using False Identity To Gain US Citizenship

India-West News Desk

WICHITA, KS -The US has filed a civil case seeking to revoke the citizenship of an India born man who allegedly became a US citizen using a false identity and concealed his earlier immigration history.

The action, filed on August 7 in the District of Kansas, names Harinder Singh, also known as Harinder Singh Sanghera and Rushpal Singh, of Olathe.

Singh first came to the attention of US immigration authorities in 1991 at JFK International Airport, where he identified himself as Rushpal Singh, according to the government.

An immigration judge ordered him deported in August 1995, and the decision was later upheld by the Board of Immigration Appeals. However, the government has no record that Singh ever left the US under the deportation order.

The government says that Singh then applied for an immigration benefit in June 1996 under the name Harinder Singh. He allegedly gave a different date of birth, date of entry into the US and factual basis for his claim. The Immigration and Naturalization Service approved the application.

In October 2000, he was granted lawful permanent resident status under the Harinder Singh identity. Eight years later, he became a US citizen using that identity and its immigration history, without disclosing his earlier immigration history under a different name, the government alleges.

The US government is seeking to revoke Singh’s naturalized citizenship, set aside the order admitting him to citizenship and cancel his certificate of naturalization.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a person’s naturalized citizenship can be revoked if it was obtained unlawfully or through concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation.