On March 5, 1998 ten naturalized citizens filed a class-action lawsuit to stop the INS from stripping them of their newly gained citizenship without a hearing. Last year, the INS notified 1200 new citizens that they would lose their status on an expedited basis because of a prior arrest or other factor that they either lied about or concealed at their interview. Most of the charges are for things that would not have prevented naturalization in the first place. In addition, most of the mistakes were due to INS oversight, sealed or overturned records or INS errors.
The plaintiffs include a homemaker who was accused of failing to disclose an arrest for growing a plant in her house that police mistook for marijuana and a plant manager who is accused of failing to disclose two ten-year-old misdemeanors which the INS knew about when he was naturalized. The lead plaintiff is a software developer who the INS accused of concealing her place of residence when she applied for citizenship in the city where she worked instead of where she lived.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.