Courts Revoke Citizenship of Cuban and Nigerian Women
The U.S. Justice Department said courts in Florida and California revoked the citizenship of two naturalized women, one born in Cuba and one in Nigeria, after both agreed to consent judgments. Officials said the women hid criminal histories during their citizenship applications. One case involved about $5.3 million stolen from a casino between 2011 and 2015.
The Justice Department disclosed the actions in release 26-1241 on 21 October. One order, dated 14 October in Florida’s Southern District, concerned Milagros Marileisis Acosta Torres, naturalized in 2015; prosecutors linked her to a scheme involving false credit vouchers at the Miccosukee tribal casino, with about $5.3 million taken from 2011 to 2015. The other, dated 13 October in California, concerned Vivian Chike Obichere, naturalized in 2013.
Both women accepted consent judgments rather than contested trials, and Brett Shumate, head of the Civil Division, said denaturalization efforts would continue. The release did not indicate whether removal proceedings would follow or how many other June cases might end similarly.
The cases could heighten anxiety among naturalized citizens with old criminal records or unreported arrests, especially those who believe past issues were settled. Because citizenship can be revisited through court proceedings, affected people may face removal uncertainty, family disruption, and legal costs. Publicity around such cases may also prompt closer scrutiny of application histories, though the actual reach depends on how many similar matters proceed.