Khaberni - The administration of US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that it is scrutinizing immigration cases involving American citizens of Somali descent to uncover fraud that may lead to citizenship revocation.
Trisha McLaughlin, assistant to the Secretary of Homeland Security, stated in a statement first reported by Fox News and later reshared by the White House on social media, "Under US law, if a person obtained citizenship through fraud, it is grounds for revocation of citizenship."
Citizenship revocation cases are rare and can take years, and according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, about 11 cases were considered annually between 1990 and 2017.
Since Trump took office in January, he has implemented a strict immigration policy that included a fierce deportation campaign and the cancellation of visas and permanent residency cards, as well as scrutinizing immigrants' social media posts.
Human rights advocacy groups condemn Trump's policies, stating that they restrict rights such as due legal process and freedom of expression. Trump and his allies say these policies aim to enhance domestic security.
In recent weeks, federal officials portrayed Somali descendants in the state of Minnesota as a hub for fraud involving millions of dollars allocated for federal social services. Immigrant rights defenders say the administration uses fraud investigations as a pretext to target Somali immigrants more broadly.
