US Moves to Strip Pakistani Man’s Citizenship Over Alleged Immigration Fraud

New York — The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit seeking to revoke the citizenship of a Pakistani-born man who allegedly concealed a previous deportation order and used a different identity to remain in the country.

Federal officials said 59-year-old Zia Murad Bhatti entered the United States without authorization in 1992 under the name Raza Moorad. He was later ordered to leave the country but allegedly avoided deportation and continued living in the United States.

According to the government’s complaint, Bhatti subsequently used his current name when he married a U.S. citizen and applied for immigration benefits. He later became an American citizen.

Prosecutors allege that Bhatti withheld information about his earlier identity and immigration history while making false statements during the naturalization process. The lawsuit accuses him of fraud, perjury and deliberately concealing information that could have affected his eligibility for citizenship.

His case is part of a broader Justice Department campaign targeting 25 naturalized citizens accused of obtaining citizenship unlawfully. Some of the other cases involve people convicted of violent crimes, including attempted murder and child sexual assault.

The department has also filed a citizenship revocation case against Narinder Singh, a 65-year-old Indian national. Authorities allege that Singh used separate identities while seeking entry into the United States beginning in 1996 and later became a citizen in 2008.

The government said Singh’s alleged false statements and other unlawful conduct showed that he did not meet the legal character requirements for naturalization.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described the filings as the largest coordinated citizenship revocation initiative ever undertaken by the department.

The latest cases follow a lawsuit filed in July against Murtaza Ali, a 65-year-old Pakistan native accused of submitting immigration applications under multiple names.

Federal investigators said fingerprint records linked Ali to applications filed under several aliases. He eventually obtained permanent residency and became a U.S. citizen in 2009 under the name Muhammad Iqbal, according to the complaint.

The Trump administration has made tougher immigration enforcement a central policy, with a particular focus on removing undocumented immigrants and pursuing cases involving alleged fraud or criminal conduct.

The Justice Department said it has filed 123 civil citizenship revocation cases since President Donald Trump began his second term on Jan. 20, 2025, a record number for the agency. (Source: IANS)