Indian-origin taxi driver Gurmeet Singh to be stripped of US citizenship over rape; hid crime throughout naturalisation course of – The Instances of India – Worldwide Dispatch

The US Division of Justice has introduced that it’s searching for to revoke the citizenship of Gurmeet Singh, an Indian-origin man who turned a naturalised US citizen after hiding a earlier conviction for rape.The DOJ stated Singh lied about his prison historical past when he utilized for US citizenship. He had beforehand kidnapped and sexually assaulted a feminine passenger in his taxi. The incident occurred after the girl fell asleep within the backseat of his automobile. Singh allegedly drove her to a aspect avenue, the place she awoke to seek out him on high of her, holding a knife to her throat. He reportedly warned her to cease resisting if she wished to stay, then sure, gagged, blindfolded, and raped her.Singh turned a US citizen on October 19, 2011, after hiding these acts throughout his naturalisation course of. He was later convicted in Might 2014 in New York of first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping as a sexually motivated felony and sentenced to twenty years in jail.Taking away citizenship or Denaturalisation can solely occur by way of a federal courtroom ruling. It’s a difficult course of and is used solely when somebody lied to get citizenship or dedicated critical crimes. Folks born within the US can not lose their citizenship. Solely naturalised residents can.Furthermore, the Trump administration has reportedly advised United States Citizenship and Immigration Providers (USCIS) places of work to ship 100 to 200 circumstances a month to the Justice Division for 2026, just like the Singh one. For comparability, solely about 120 circumstances have been filed throughout the nation between 2017 and 2025. The method places stress on the courts, however it helps shield the worth of US citizenship in accordance with some Republicans.US Lawyer Common Pam Bondi stated in a press launch: “This Division of Justice will proceed to strip citizenship from those that commit heinous crimes and conceal them through the naturalization course of. American citizenship is a good and sacred privilege that should be earned truthfully.”US Lawyer Joseph Nocella Jr. additionally weighed in on Singh’s case: “The defendant on this case secured U.S. citizenship by way of deceit, and on the heels of committing the heinous crimes of rape and kidnapping. This case, dropped at strip the defendant of citizenship that he didn’t earn and to which he was not entitled, demonstrates our Workplace’s dedication to defending the American folks and defending the sanctity of U.S. citizenship.”Singh’s case will now be heard in federal courtroom, the place a choose will resolve whether or not the federal government has met the authorized commonplace required to revoke his citizenship.