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U.S. revokes citizenship of Indian-origin man over false identity
The ruling found he concealed a prior deportation order and assumed a false identity to obtain U.S. citizenship.
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Malvika Choudhary - Tue, 21, Apr 2026
- 15:17 EDT
- 128
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Representative image / Canva
A federal judge has revoked the U.S. citizenship of an Indian-origin man after finding that he obtained naturalization through immigration and identity fraud, the Department of Justice said on April 16.
Gurdev Singh Sohal, also known as Dev Singh and Boota Singh Sundu, was stripped of his citizenship following a court ruling on April 13 that he had illegally procured naturalization.
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Authorities said Sohal had been ordered to be deported in 1994 under the name Dev Singh but failed to leave the United States and instead remained in the country under a new identity.
According to the Justice Department, Sohal created a fictitious identity with a different name, date of birth, and entry details, and used it to obtain U.S. citizenship in 2005. He did not disclose his earlier immigration history or deportation order in any subsequent immigration applications or proceedings.
The case was uncovered as part of the federal government’s Historic Fingerprint Enrollment project, a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security.
Officials said that in February 2020, forensic analysis matched fingerprints submitted under Sohal’s multiple identities, confirming they belonged to the same individual. The match was made possible after older paper-based fingerprint records were digitized, enabling authorities to re-examine legacy immigration files.
In its ruling, the court found that Sohal’s concealment of his prior identity and deportation history meant he failed to meet the “good moral character” requirement necessary for naturalization under U.S. law.
The denaturalization followed a civil complaint filed by the Justice Department, part of a broader federal effort to identify and revoke citizenship obtained through fraud or misrepresentation.
“This case shows this Administration’s strength and commitment to ensuring the sanctity of U.S. citizenship,” said Brett A. Shumate, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. “The cooperation between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security reflects a strong partnership to protect the nation against immigration and identity fraud.”
The case was prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation, Affirmative Litigation Unit, with assistance from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
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