Latest news with #BrettShumate
News18
2 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
'We Ought To Get Them The Hell Out': Trump Suggests Deporting US Citizens With Criminal Records
Last Updated: During a visit to a migrant detention centre, Trump told reporters there are 'many immigrants who are now citizens' who have been involved in serious crimes. President Donald Trump doubled down Tuesday on his controversial proposal, widely considered unconstitutional by legal experts, to deport US citizens who commit crimes, reported ABC News. During a visit to a migrant detention centre in the Florida Everglades, Trump told reporters there are 'many immigrants who are now citizens" who have been involved in serious crimes. 'They're not new to our country. They're old to our country. Many of them were born in our country. I think we ought to get them the hell out of here, too, if you want to know the truth," Trump said, reported ABC News. 'So maybe that will be the next job." The comment comes weeks after Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, a Trump appointee, issued a memo granting US attorneys broad discretion to pursue denaturalisation cases in alignment with 'the Administration's policy objectives," ABC News reported. What Does The Memo Say? The Department of Justice (DOJ) has directed its attorneys to prioritise efforts to revoke citizenship from some naturalised Americans involved in certain crimes, according to a memo made public online. Dated June 11, the memo from Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate grants broad discretion to US attorneys on when to initiate denaturalisation proceedings, with the stated goal of helping to 'advance the administration's policy objectives" amid the Trump administration's wider immigration crackdown. The directive emphasises focusing on individuals who could 'pose a potential danger to national security." However, it also leaves the door open for the DOJ's Civil Division to target 'any other cases referred… that the Division determines to be sufficiently important to pursue," significantly expanding the scope beyond national security concerns. This expanded latitude means the DOJ can potentially pursue revoking citizenship not only for terrorism-related offences but also for other crimes deemed significant by the administration, intensifying concerns among immigration and civil rights advocates about government overreach.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
DOJ looks to revoke citizenship from naturalized Americans who commit certain crimes
The Department of Justice is prioritizing revoking citizenship from some naturalized Americans who commit certain crimes, according to a DOJ memo posted online. In the memo dated June 11, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate is giving U.S. attorneys wide discretion to decide when to pursue the denaturalization process in order to "advance the Administration's policy objectives" as the Trump administration pursues its ongoing immigration crackdown. While attorneys are urged to prioritize cases involving individuals who "pose a potential danger to national security," the memo also states that they can seek out "any other cases referred to the Civil Division that the Division determines to be sufficiently important to pursue." MORE: In a new tactic, ICE is arresting migrants at immigration courts, attorneys say "The Civil Division shall prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence," Shumate wrote. Some of the cases U.S. attorneys should pursue are those against individuals who have engaged in torture, war crimes, human trafficking, and human rights violations, the memo says. While the denaturalization process and requirements are codified into law, immigration attorney Rosanna Berardi says the memo changes how aggressively the Department of Justice plans to pursue these cases. "The memo clearly signals that DOJ is going to pursue more of these cases, and not just against terrorists or war criminals, even cases involving undisclosed criminal records or procedural errors during naturalization are now on the radar," Berardi told ABC News. "In the past 28 years of my practice, the government has generally left naturalized U.S. citizens alone. This is a departure from that mentality." According to a report conducted by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in 2020, the government pursued denaturalization cases at a very low rate, averaging only 11 cases per year from 1990-2017. But those cases skyrocketed under Trump's first administration. In 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it intended to refer 1,600 cases to DOJ for persecution, the report says. The DOJ memo also lays out four other priorities for the department, which include "ending antisemitism" and taking legal action against sanctuary states and jurisdictions.
20 hours ago
- Politics
DOJ looks to revoke citizenship from naturalized Americans who commit certain crimes
The Department of Justice is prioritizing revoking citizenship from some naturalized Americans who commit certain crimes, according to a DOJ memo posted online. In the memo dated June 11, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate is giving U.S. attorneys wide discretion to decide when to pursue the denaturalization process in order to "advance the Administration's policy objectives" as the Trump administration pursues its ongoing immigration crackdown. While attorneys are urged to prioritize cases involving individuals who "pose a potential danger to national security," the memo also states that they can seek out "any other cases referred to the Civil Division that the Division determines to be sufficiently important to pursue." "The Civil Division shall prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence," Shumate wrote. Some of the cases U.S. attorneys should pursue are those against individuals who have engaged in torture, war crimes, human trafficking, and human rights violations, the memo says. While the denaturalization process and requirements are codified into law, immigration attorney Rosanna Berardi says the memo changes how aggressively the Department of Justice plans to pursue these cases. "The memo clearly signals that DOJ is going to pursue more of these cases, and not just against terrorists or war criminals, even cases involving undisclosed criminal records or procedural errors during naturalization are now on the radar," Berardi told ABC News. "In the past 28 years of my practice, the government has generally left naturalized U.S. citizens alone. This is a departure from that mentality." According to a report conducted by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center in 2020, the government pursued denaturalization cases at a very low rate, averaging only 11 cases per year from 1990-2017. But those cases skyrocketed under Trump's first administration. In 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it intended to refer 1,600 cases to DOJ for persecution, the report says. The DOJ memo also lays out four other priorities for the department, which include "ending antisemitism" and taking legal action against sanctuary states and jurisdictions.
New York Post
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Post
DOJ memo outlines plans for ‘prioritizing denaturalization' — aka yanking US citizenship — of individuals charged with certain crimes
The Justice Department will prioritize revoking the US citizenship of individuals charged with certain crimes, according to a memo issued by the agency earlier this month. 'The Civil Division shall prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence,' read a June 11 'enforcement priorities' memo sent by Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate to all employees within the DOJ's Civil Division. Shumate noted that the civil division has established several 'categories of priorities for denaturalization cases' in order to 'promote the pursuit of all viable denaturalization cases … and maintain the integrity of the naturalization system while simultaneously ensuring an appropriate allocation of resources.' 'Denaturalization' was among five priorities for the DOJ's civil division listed in a June 11 memo. Getty Images The 10 categories of crimes that could lead to citizenship being stripped range from 'war crimes' to COVID loan fraud, according to the memo. Individuals 'who pose a potential danger to national security, including those with a nexus to terrorism, espionage, or the unlawful export from the United States of sensitive goods, technology, or information raising national security concerns' will be among those prioritized for denaturalization. As will individuals who 'further or furthered the unlawful enterprise of criminal gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and drug cartels.' Various forms of fraud are also listed in the memo, including 'Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud and Medicaid/Medicare fraud' and 'fraud against private individuals, funds, or corporations.' The DOJ will also target 'individuals who committed human trafficking, sex offenses, or violent crimes.' Naturalized citizens who didn't disclose previous felonies during the process or acquired their citizenship through 'government corruption' or 'misrepresentation' could also be subject to prioritized denaturalization proceedings. The DOJ, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, has already stripped the US citizenship of at least one person convicted of possession of child pornography. AP 'Any other cases referred to the Civil Division that the Division determines to be sufficiently important to pursue' will also meet the priority threshold, according to the memo. 'These categories are intended to guide the Civil Division in prioritizing which cases to pursue; however, these categories do not limit the Civil Division from pursuing any particular case, nor are they listed in a particular order of importance,' Shumate noted. 'Further, the Civil Division retains the discretion to pursue cases outside of these categories as it determines appropriate.' Denaturalization is among the DOJ's top five enforcement priorities for the civil division, which also lists 'Combatting Discriminatory Practices and Policies,' 'Ending Antisemitism,' 'Protecting Women and Children' and 'Ending Sanctuary Jurisdictions' as top concerns. At least one person has been denaturalized since the memo was issued. Elliott Duke, a British national convicted of receipt and possession of child pornography in 2014, was stripped of his US citizenship on June 13, according to the DOJ. Duke was granted US citizenship in 2013 after enlisting in the US Army the year prior. He claimed on his 2013 citizenship application that he had never committed a crime for which he was not arrested, but the DOJ determined that in 2012, while serving in Germany, Duke began receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material. Duke's denaturalization case was investigated under 'Operation Prison Lookout,' which the DOJ describes as 'an ongoing national initiative involving the Justice Department and ICE to identify and prosecute sex offenders who have fraudulently obtained United States citizenship.' 'The laws intended to facilitate citizenship for brave men and women who join our nation's armed forces will not shield individuals who have fraudulently obtained US citizenship by concealing their crimes,' Shumate said in a statement. 'If you commit serious crimes before you become a US citizen and then lie about them during your naturalization process, the Justice Department will discover the truth and come after you.'
National Post
2 days ago
- National Post
Canadian extradited to the U.S. in alleged million-dollar mail scam targeting seniors
The U.S. Justice Department says an Alberta man is awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy and mail fraud after he allegedly operated a mail scam with other people that targeted vulnerable American seniors. Article content The department says in an online statement that Patrick Fraser, 44, was arrested by Canadian authorities in June 2023 and has now been extradited to the United States in connection with a fraudulent mail scheme. Article content Article content Article content He was ordered to remain detained during a hearing in a federal Las Vegas courtroom last week and awaits trial in the nine-count indictment. Article content Article content The department alleges in the statement that Frasher mailed notifications to American recipients and those in other countries stating they had won a large cash prize, but the victims could only receive it after paying a fee. Article content The cash prize was typically $1 million and many victims were elderly and vulnerable people. Article content The statement says Fraser faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted. Article content Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department's civil division thanked Canada in the statement for assisting in Fraser's extradition so he could face charges in the United States Article content 'The Justice Department and U.S. law enforcement partners will continue to work closely with law enforcement partners across the globe to bring to justice criminals who attempt to defraud U.S. victims from outside the United States,' he said. Article content Article content
