US Citizens of Somali Origin Face Audits for Potential Immigration Fraud

Gaining citizenship via fraud is grounds for denaturalization, said a federal official amid investigations into scams in Minnesota.
US Citizens of Somali Origin Face Audits for Potential Immigration Fraud
Activists confront a group of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in the largely Somali neighborhood of Cedar-Riverside in Minneapolis on Dec. 9, 2025. Mark Vancleave/AP Photo
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The Trump administration is auditing immigration cases involving U.S. citizens of Somali origin to uncover potential fraud that might be grounds for revoking their citizenship, known as denaturalization.

“Under U.S. law, if an individual procures citizenship on a fraudulent basis, that is grounds for denaturalization,” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement reported by Fox News then shared by the White House on social media.
Kimberly Hayek
Kimberly Hayek
Author
Kimberly Hayek is a reporter for The Epoch Times. She covers California news and has worked as an editor and on scene at the U.S.-Mexico border during the 2018 migrant caravan crisis.