Washington The US Department of Justice has initiated proceedings to revoke the American citizenship of 40 individuals, including California resident Balvinder Singh of Indian origin, who is accused of using a fraudulent identity to enter the United States, obtain permanent residency and later secure citizenship. According to the Justice Department, the cases involve allegations of fraud, false statements or concealment of material facts during the naturalisation process. The list also includes former US Navy serviceman Jinchao Wei, who was convicted in a case involving espionage for China.
According to the Justice Department, Balvinder Singh filed an immigration application in 1992 using one identity. In 2003, he obtained permanent resident status using a second identity. US authorities said that although different identities were used in the two immigration applications, fingerprint records established that both applications had been submitted by the same person.
Singh subsequently obtained US citizenship in 2009 under his second identity, according to the authorities. A complaint against him contains seven counts, alleging that he made false statements during the immigration process and engaged in unlawful acts that allegedly adversely affected his moral character. The Justice Department has now begun proceedings seeking to revoke his citizenship.
Under US law, citizenship obtained unlawfully or through concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation during the naturalisation process can be revoked. In such cases, the certificate of naturalisation can also be cancelled. However, denaturalisation is subject to legal and judicial proceedings, and allegations contained in a complaint do not by themselves constitute a final finding of guilt.
The US Justice Department has linked the action to efforts to protect the integrity of the naturalisation process. Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate alleged that the individuals involved had used lies and deception to obtain US citizenship. He said the administration would continue a large-scale denaturalisation effort aimed at restoring trust and integrity in the citizenship process.
Attorney General Todd Blanche also described the campaign as one of the largest denaturalisation efforts in modern US history. According to the Justice Department, the proceedings cover cases in which citizenship was allegedly obtained through fraud, misrepresentation or other violations of immigration law.
The action also covers the case of Jinchao Wei, who was born in China and previously served in the US Navy. He was accused of conspiring to obtain and share sensitive US military information with China. According to US authorities, Wei joined the Navy in 2021 and by February 2022 had begun conspiring to sell military secrets to China.
Wei obtained US citizenship in May 2022 under an expedited naturalisation process available to individuals serving honorably in the US armed forces. He was later prosecuted in connection with espionage-related offences, including conspiracy to commit espionage, espionage and the unlawful export of technical information related to defence articles.
In August 2025, Wei was convicted in the case. He was sentenced to 200 months, or nearly 16 years and eight months, in prison and was discharged from the US Navy. His citizenship is now also subject to denaturalisation proceedings.
The Justice Department said it would pursue denaturalisation in cases involving fraud, willful misrepresentation or concealment of material facts during naturalisation. However, the circumstances of each of the 40 cases are different, and the final outcome will depend on the applicable legal proceedings and court decisions. The ultimate legal status of the allegations against Balvinder Singh and the other individuals will be determined through the judicial process.
