There may be residents in Pennsylvania interested in learning more about how the government has the power to revoke their U.S. citizenship. The process is officially referred to as denaturalization, and anyone subjected to this may also be deported from the country. However, anyone considered to be a naturally born citizen may not have their citizenship revoked without their consent. Naturally born citizens must choose to renounce their citizenship to the United States by their own free will.
Four different scenarios may qualify as grounds for denaturalization. Citizenship may be revoked for refusing to testify before congress, receiving a dishonorable military discharge, becoming a member of a subversive group, or concealing or falsifying relevant facts used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service during the application process. Providing a false identity or failing to disclose a criminal record may qualify as misrepresenting information to the USCIS.
Immigrants may only be required to testify before congress as a means of avoiding deportation during the first ten years of becoming a U.S. citizen. In order for a naturalized individual to have their citizenship revoked, the dishonorable discharge must occur within the first five years of military service.
Denaturalization is a process governed by the federal court system. Even though these cases affect immigration status, they are ruled as a federal civil court case and not an immigration case.
People who need more information about the naturalization process may benefit from confiding in legal counsel. A lawyer may be prepared to review the details of the case and help identify a course of action moving forward. Legal counsel might be able to help defend immigrants who are unjustly being targeted for denaturalization. Lawyers may also be able to assist others with obtaining the appropriate documentation to work legally or bring relatives into the country.