United States

NJ Man Stripped of Citizenship for Using False Name When He Entered Country

Baljinder Singh's citizenship was revoked Friday after he was accused of using an alias to avoid deportation

The Justice Department says a New Jersey resident has been stripped of his citizenship after authorities learned he used a false name when he entered the United States more than 25 years ago.

Carteret resident Baljinder Singh's citizenship was revoked Friday after he was accused of using an alias to avoid deportation. Prosecutors say Singh, who was born in India, arrived in the U.S. in 1991 with no proof of identity, giving the name Davinder Singh.

After failing to appear for his immigration court hearing, Singh was ordered to be deported on Jan. 7, 1992. Four weeks later, he filed an asylum petition under the name Baljinder Singh, claiming to have entered the United States without inspection.

Singh eventually abandoned his asylum petition and married a U.S. citizen in 1996. He became a naturalized citizen in 2006 when his wife filed a visa petition on his behalf.

Singh is the first person de-naturalized under Operation Janus. Launched in 2010, the Homeland Security Department initiative revokes citizenship of those who circumvented background checks during the naturalization process.

As a lawful permanent resident, Singh could face deportation

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which dedicated a team to review Operation Janus cases, plans to refer about 1,600 additional cases for prosecution, the Justice Department said in a statement.

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