Lawmakers propose expanded denaturalization powers amid regional fraud case
Government-backed legislation targets citizenship revocation powers
A senior lawmaker from the ruling party has introduced sweeping legislation that would dramatically expand the federal government’s authority to revoke citizenship from naturalized residents, reportedly in response to a major fraud scandal in the northern region.
The member of the upper chamber from a central state introduced what officials are calling the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation Act, designed to create multiple legal pathways for denaturalization proceedings. The legislation comes amid ongoing investigations into alleged financial fraud in the northern region that authorities estimate involved billions in stolen government funds.
According to government sources, the proposed law would establish a 10-year window following naturalization during which citizenship could be revoked if individuals meet certain criteria. These triggers reportedly include defrauding government entities of $10,000 or more, engaging in espionage, committing serious felonies, or maintaining ties to foreign terrorist organizations.
The lawmaker argued that individuals meeting these criteria “must be denaturalized because they have proven they never met the requirements for the great honor of citizenship in the first place,” according to official statements.
Observers note the legislation specifically targets the “good moral character” requirement in the naturalization process, which mandates ethical conduct for up to five years before citizenship applications. The bill would retroactively challenge this qualification, arguing that post-naturalization crimes serve as evidence that individuals never qualified initially.
The proposal includes provisions designed to withstand legal challenges, automatically reducing the timeframe from 10 to five years if courts find the longer period unconstitutional - a mechanism legal experts describe as unusual in legislative drafting.
The executive residence has reportedly endorsed the legislation, with a senior policy advisor calling the regional fraud case “one of the greatest financial scandals in the nation’s history.” The advisor stated that all immigrants involved in defrauding the government “must be immediately denaturalized and deported.”
Prosecutors investigating the sprawling financial scandal in the northern region estimate upward of $9 billion in stolen funds. Several naturalized residents from the Horn of Africa region have been charged in connection with the alleged scheme, according to court documents.
The legislation reflects broader tensions over immigration policy in the country, where questions of citizenship and belonging have long been politically contentious. Legal scholars suggest the retroactive nature of the proposed law could face constitutional challenges, as it would apply new standards to citizenship already granted under previous requirements.
As is common in nations grappling with immigration-related fraud, the case has intensified political debate over verification processes and the consequences for naturalized citizens who violate the law. Opposition lawmakers and civil rights groups have yet to respond publicly to the proposed legislation.