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Tuesday, October 6, 2026

The File

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Justice Department · Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Justice Department sues to strip citizenship from 40 people, its largest single batch

The File desk · Oct 6, 2026, 10:44 AM UTC

Status

Confirmed that the Justice Department announced the filings. These are civil lawsuits under

, not criminal charges. The claims in the complaints are allegations. No court has ruled on this batch.

  • Confirmed

    The department said it filed 40 civil complaints between Aug. 21 and Oct. 2, 2026, to revoke naturalized citizenship.

  • Confirmed

    Attorney General Todd Blanche called it the largest denaturalization effort in modern history. That is the department’s description. This desk has no separate count.

  • Confirmed

    The release says the claims are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

The Justice Department said Monday it filed 40 civil lawsuits between Aug. 21 and Oct. 2 to cancel the citizenship of naturalized Americans. It says each person lied or hid a crime or a false identity to become a citizen. The tool is

, a civil suit in federal court, not a new criminal charge. Judges still have to rule on each case. Attorney General Todd Blanche called the batch “the largest denaturalization effort in modern history.” That is the department’s claim.

Under

, prosecutors can sue to revoke citizenship that was illegally procured, or procured by hiding a material fact or by a willful lie. The release says every complaint in this batch is still an allegation, and there has been no finding of liability.

Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said, “Every single one of these individuals lied their way into U.S. citizenship.” That is the government’s position, not a court finding.

One case the release describes is Jinchao Wei, 26, filed Sept. 30 in the Southern District of California. The department says he enlisted in the Navy in 2021, began conspiring by February 2022 to sell military secrets to China, became a citizen in May 2022 through the military fast track while that was underway, and was convicted in August 2025 and sentenced to 200 months.

Another is Ping Li, 61, filed Oct. 1 in the Middle District of Florida. The release says he pleaded guilty on Aug. 19, 2024, to acting as an agent of China without telling the attorney general.

The release also describes people convicted of sexual offenses against children and a person convicted of voluntary manslaughter. It lists the suits court by court. This desk is not reprinting every name.

The File reported one finished denaturalization on Aug. 31: a federal court revoked the citizenship of Gurmeet Singh after a criminal conviction. That case had a judgment. Monday’s 40 suits have not.

What is still unknown or disputed

Primary sources

Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.

  1. Source 1

    Justice Department Moves to Strip Citizenship from 40 Criminals in Largest Single-Period Filing Under the Trump Administration

    U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs · October 5, 2026

    Filed between Aug. 21 and Oct. 2, 2026, these complaints represent the largest volume of complaints submitted in a single period under the Trump administration.

    https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-moves-strip-citizenship-40-criminals-largest-single-period

  2. Source 2

    Federal court revokes citizenship of convicted rapist Gurmeet Singh

    The File · August 31, 2026

    On Aug. 31, 2026, the Justice Department said the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York entered judgment revoking the naturalization of Gurmeet Singh.

    /story/gurmeet-singh-denaturalization