Indian-Born Man Faces Citizenship Loss Over Fake Identity

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Kansas filed a civil denaturalization lawsuit against Harinder Singh, also known as Rushpal Singh, of Olathe, Kansas. Prosecutors allege he concealed a 1995 deportation order and obtained citizenship under a false identity.

According to court documents, Immigration and Naturalization Service officers first encountered Singh in 1991 at JFK International Airport, where he identified himself as Rushpal Singh. In August 1995, an immigration judge ordered his deportation, but the government has no record that he ever left the country.

In June 1996, Singh filed a new application for immigration benefits under the name Harinder Singh, changing his date of birth, his date of entry into the U.S., and the factual basis for his claim. INS granted the application, and in October 2000 approved his green card under the new identity. Eight years later, he naturalized as Harinder Singh without disclosing his prior immigration history.

The lawsuit seeks to revoke Singh's citizenship and cancel his certificate of naturalization under the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows revocation if naturalization was illegally procured or obtained through concealment of material facts or willful misrepresentation.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provided crucial support to the investigation. The agency encourages reporting suspected immigration benefit fraud through its online tip form.