2 Fil-Ams among 40 facing US citizenship revocation
FILE – In this Aug. 17, 2018, file photo, people arrive before the start of a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Miami Field Office in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
LOS ANGELES – Two Filipino Americans are among 40 naturalized US citizens facing efforts by the Justice Department to revoke their citizenship in a sweeping series of denaturalization cases filed across the country.
The Justice Department identified the two as Arnel Dacumos Tabafunda, 47, and Ramon Navarro, 68. Both face civil denaturalization cases filed in federal courts in California.
The department announced Oct. 5 that it had filed actions against 40 people accused of offenses ranging from immigration fraud and sexual crimes to voluntary manslaughter and espionage.
The complaints were filed in multiple US district courts between Aug. 21 and Oct. 2, representing the largest number filed during a single period under the Trump administration, according to the Justice Department.
Arnel Tabafunda
The Justice Department filed a case against Tabafunda on Sept. 15 in the US District Court for the Central District of California.
Federal officials allege that Tabafunda began sexually abusing a child under 13 before becoming a US citizen and failed to disclose the abuse during his naturalization proceedings. He became a US citizen in September 2005.
After his naturalization, a jury convicted Tabafunda of two counts of committing lewd or lascivious acts upon a child under 14 under California law. He was sentenced to eight years in prison.
According to the Justice Department, the abuse occurred from February to November 2005, during a period when Tabafunda was required to demonstrate good moral character to qualify for citizenship. The government alleges that he obtained citizenship illegally and concealed material information about his conduct during the naturalization process.
Ramon Navarro
The Justice Department filed a separate case against Navarro on Oct. 2 in the US District Court for the Eastern District of California.
Federal officials allege that Navarro entered into a fraudulent marriage to obtain lawful permanent resident status and later used that status to become a US citizen.
The complaint includes four counts tied to the alleged fraudulent marriage and statements Navarro made during the immigration and naturalization process, according to the department.
Denaturalization push
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a naturalized citizen can have citizenship revoked if a court determines that naturalization was illegally obtained or was secured through concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation.
Attorney General Todd Blanche described the latest cases as the “largest denaturalization effort in modern history,” saying the defendants had concealed information that could have affected their eligibility for citizenship.
Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said the administration would continue pursuing denaturalization cases involving alleged deception in the citizenship process.
The Justice Department previously announced cases against 17 naturalized citizens in June, including another Fil-Am, Jheromell Obejera Arcilla. The department is seeking to revoke Arcilla’s citizenship over allegations that he concealed sexual abuse of a minor while going through the naturalization process.
