Second Jamaican among US citizens targeted for denaturalisation

NEW YORK:

Two Jamaican men are among some 17 people that the Trump administration has targeted for denaturalisation.

They are Talman Harris, 49, and Rodger George Gurdon, 55.

According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), prior to naturalising in 2011, Gurdon engaged in a conspiracy to steal and resell medical products from military hospitals operated by the US Department of Defense.

The Justice Department said that likewise, Gurdon engaged in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 100 kilogrammes of a substance containing marijuana.

In 2013, after he was naturalised, the Justice Department said that he pleaded guilty to conspiring to stealing pre-retail medical products, inter-state receipt of stolen goods, and conspiring to distribute marijuana.

The department said that the crimes occurred during the period when Gurdon was required to demonstrate good moral character to become naturalised.

The denaturalisation complaint against Gurdon said he was precluded from becoming a US citizen because he had committed unlawful acts that adversely reflected on his moral character and falsely testified about the crimes.

Additionally, the DOJ said Gurdon willfully misrepresented the material facts of his crimes during his naturalisation proceedings.

In relation to Harris, the DOJ said that over an eight-year period, including during his 2012-2014 naturalisation proceedings, Harris conspired to manipulate the price and volume of shares and stock in publicly traded companies causing more than US$54 -million to be invested in artificially controlled shares and in an ultimate loss to investors of approximately US$39 -million from the scheme.

The DOJ said that in 2016, after Harris was naturalised, a jury found him guilty of wire fraud and conspiring to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, with his fraudulent wire transfers and the conspiracy occurring during the period in which Harris was statutorily required to demonstrate good moral character to become naturalised.

The DOJ said that during the period in which he was statutorily required to demonstrate good moral character, he committed unlawful acts that adversely reflected on his moral character . And falsely testified about his crimes.

The DOJ stated further that Harris willfully misrepresented the material facts of his crimes during his naturalisation proceedings.

The DOJ is seeking to strip both Harris and Gurdon of their US citizenships.

The Trump Administration has targeted the 17 people to revoke their citizenship.

Also among them are individuals from Haiti, Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Yugoslavia, India, the Dominican Republic, Somalia, China, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Philippines.

This is the largest number of people the federal government has targeted for denaturalisation.

The Justice Department said that some of those targeted were convicted of serious crimes, including sex offences against children. Others were found guilty of fraud crimes or accused of committing immigration fraud.

The Trump Administration has sought to increase denaturalisation as part of its immigration crackdown.

Last year, the Justice Department broadened the categories of naturalised citizens who should be priorised to have their citizenship revoked.

The Justice Department is arguing that those prioritised for denaturalisation hid their criminal activity when they applied for US citizenship or were otherwise not legible to receive US citizenship because they lacked “good moral character”.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the Justice Department has “zero tolerance for abuse of the naturalisation process”.

“Criminal aliens are lying about their past crimes, including drug dealers, sexual predators, and fraudsters,” he said.

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said that the Trump Administration would “continue to use every lawful avenue to denaturalise and remove aliens”.

“American citizenship is a privilege, and it must be earned honestly,” he said.

According to Mullin, if people commit crimes and lie on their immigration proceedings, they forfeit the privilege of being a citizen.

Denaturalisation can be a lengthy process, complex and seldom exercised as it requires officials to persuade a judge to strip someone of his/her citizenship.

Between 1990 and 2017, the federal government filed an average of 11 legal complaints per year seeking to denaturalise American citizens.

editorial@gleanerjm.com