DOJ Announces Denaturalization of Child Sex Offender

Revocation of naturalization can occur only in federal courts through a civil proceeding or as a result of a criminal conviction.

Immigrants await their turn for green card and citizenship interviews at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Queens office in the Long Island City neighborhood of New York, on May 30, 2013. John Moore/Getty Images

The Southern District of Texas court, McAllen Division, issued an order on Jan. 22 revoking the citizenship of a naturalized individual who was convicted of a child sex offence, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement on Jan. 26.

Before getting naturalized in 2010, Carlos Noe Gallegos had “sexually assaulted a child younger than 14 years. Years after he naturalized, Mr. Gallegos pleaded guilty to the sexual assault, and the court issued an order of community supervision,” DOJ said.

During his naturalization process, Gallegos failed to disclose his illegal acts. The court held that Gallegos’s wilful sexual contact with a child was a crime of “moral turpitude.”

Since his criminal conduct reflected negatively upon his character, Gallegos procured his citizenship illegally, even though he was neither eligible for naturalization nor should have been naturalized, the DOJ said.

Gallegos’s involvement in the sexual assault and the subsequent concealment of these material facts warrant the revocation of his naturalization.

“American citizenship is a privilege that this child-abusing monster never should have been able to attain,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said.

“We will continue ensuring that anyone who conceals such conduct while obtaining naturalization is found out and stripped of their citizenship.”

The Epoch Times was unable to reach Gallegos’s legal representatives.

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), denaturalization is not handled by the agency.

Instead, revocation of naturalization can occur only in federal courts, it said, adding that denaturalization can be pursued through a civil proceeding or as a result of a criminal conviction.

Two factors typically constitute the general grounds for revocation of naturalization—illegal procurement of naturalization or concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation, USCIS said.

In a Jan. 26 post on X, USCIS said a Colombian national wanted for robbery in Minnesota showed up at the agency’s Minneapolis office and was taken into custody by local police after USCIS staffers ran background checks on the person.

In another post, USCIS said a convicted drug trafficker and burglar who was ordered to be removed from the United States 12 years ago showed up at the agency’s office in Kendall, Florida, to secure U.S. citizenship. The person was turned over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

On Monday, the DOJ announced it had filed for a civil denaturalization complaint in Florida against a Peruvian national charged with eight extra-judicial killings in his home nation.

“No one who commits atrocities like these is entitled to the precious gift of U.S. citizenship,” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said.

“We owe it to the American people to protect them from human rights violators who abuse positions of power, wherever they engaged in their offensive acts.”

According to USCIS data, 818,500 new individuals were naturalized in fiscal year (FY) 2024. Over the past decade, more than 7.9 million people have been naturalized.

“Among the top five countries of birth for people naturalizing in FY 2024, Mexico was the lead country, with 13.1 percent of all naturalizations, followed by India (6.1 percent), the Philippines (5.0 percent), the Dominican Republic (4.9 percent), and Vietnam (4.1 percent). The top five countries of birth comprised 33 percent of the naturalized citizens in FY 2024,” the agency said.

“The top five cities (including boroughs) where people who naturalized resided were (in descending order): Miami, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Houston, and Los Angeles.”

Over 37 percent of individuals naturalized in FY 2024 were aged 30-44 years. Women made up 55 percent of the overall number of naturalized citizens, USCIS said.

Earlier this month, USCIS announced it had revised the naturalization test requirements that applicants must pass to become American citizens.

Applicants must take two tests administered by the agency—one for English language skills and another for civics knowledge.

“Our new version of the test will ensure all new citizens understand the privilege of citizenship and what it means to be an American,” USCIS said.