Today, the U.S. Department of Justice filed denaturalization
lawsuits against five individuals who, according to the Department’s
complaints, unlawfully procured their U.S. citizenship by concealing sexual
abuse of minor victims during the naturalization process. The civil complaints
were filed in federal court in the Southern District of Florida, the Northern
District of Illinois, the Northern District of Texas (two cases), and the
Southern District of Texas.
“Committing fraud in any immigration matter undermines the
integrity of our immigration system, and is a betrayal of the American people’s
generosity,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “It is especially appalling
when it also involves the sexual abuse of children. The Department of Justice
has a duty to prosecute these crimes vigorously, particularly so for
individuals who commit fraud in the naturalization process. I am confident that
justice will be done in these cases, and I want to thank ICE, CBP, USCIS, our
Civil Division, and our U.S. Attorneys’ offices for their hard work. This
Department will continue to fight to denaturalize immigration fraudsters and to
protect the American people from sex offenders.”
The cases were referred to the Department of Justice by the
Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and
U.S. Customs and Border Protection with investigative support from U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“I commend the DHS personnel working diligently to remove
dangerous criminals from our streets,” said Acting Secretary of the Department
of Homeland Security Elaine Duke. “Those who unlawfully procured citizenship by
concealing crimes – especially sexual abuse of minors – should have their
citizenship revoked.”
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the citizenship
of a naturalized U.S. citizen may be revoked, and his or her certificate of
naturalization canceled, if naturalization was illegally procured or procured
by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.
The five defendants committed crimes of sexual abuse of
minor victims prior to naturalizing. As the civil complaints allege, such
crimes rendered the defendants ineligible for citizenship from the start. By
willfully concealing child sexual abuse crimes, the defendants also
independently rendered themselves subject to denaturalization.
A description of each of the five cases and the allegations
of the United States follows:
Jorge Luis Alvarado
Jorge Luis Alvarado, 56, a native of Mexico, naturalized on
March 9, 2000. Shortly before filing his naturalization application, Alvarado
made unlawful sexual contact with a sixteen-year-old child. In March 2007, he
pleaded guilty in Texas state court to committing indecency with a child by
sexual contact, a second-degree felony. Alvarado was ordered to community
supervision and to register as a sex offender. He has been residing in southern
Texas. United States of America v. Jorge Luis Alvarado (S.D. Tex.).
Alberto Mario Beleno
Alberto Mario Beleno, 64, a native of Colombia, naturalized
on Feb. 26, 2001. Before Beleno naturalized as a U.S. citizen, he committed
lewd and lascivious acts on a six-year-old child. In 2001, less than three
months after he naturalized, Beleno was arrested and ultimately pleaded
guilty/nolo-contendere in Florida state court to committing felony lewd and
lascivious exhibition and felony lewd and lascivious molestation on a minor in
1993 and 1994. Beleno was ordered to register as a sex offender for his
conduct. His last known residence in the United States is in Miami, Florida.
United States of America v. Alberto Mario Beleno (S.D. Fla.).
Eleazar Corral Valenzuela
Eleazar Corral Valenzuela, 49, a native of Mexico,
naturalized on June 15, 2000. Prior to applying to naturalize, he sexually
abused a minor child. In November 2000, after he had naturalized, Corral
pleaded guilty in Illinois state court to aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a
Class 2 felony. He was ordered to register as a sex offender. He has been
residing in Aurora, Illinois. United States of America v. Eleazar Corral
Valenzuela (N.D. Ill.).
Moises Herrera-Gonzalez
Moises Herrera-Gonzalez, 55, a native of Mexico, naturalized
on Sept. 25, 1999. On Jan. 1, 1996, before he filed his naturalization
application, Herrera-Gonzalez sexually assaulted and injured a six-year-old
child. He filed his naturalization application in September 1996, nine months after
the sexual assault. On July 8, 2002, after he naturalized, Herrera-Gonzalez
pleaded guilty in Texas state court to committing bodily injury to a child, a
third-degree felony. He was sentenced to five years in prison. He has been
residing in Arlington, Texas. United States of America v. Moises
Herrera-Gonzalez (N.D. Tex.).
Emmanuel Olugbenga Omopariola
Emmanuel Olugbenga Omopariola, 60, a native of Nigeria,
naturalized on July 1, 2004. Before he filed his naturalization application in
May 2003, Omopariola made unlawful sexual contact with a seven-year-old child.
In 2015, after he naturalized, Omopariola pleaded guilty in Texas state court
to Indecency with a Child – Sexual Contact, a second-degree felony. He was
ordered to five years of community supervision and placed on the sex offender
registry. He has been residing in Grand Prairie, Texas. United States of
America v. Emmanuel Olugbenga Omopariola (N.D. Tex.).
These cases were investigated by ICE, CBP, and USCIS, and
the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation, District Court Section
(OIL-DCS). These cases are being prosecuted by OIL-DCS and its National
Security and Affirmative Litigation Unit (NS/A Unit) with support from the U.S.
Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Florida, Northern District of
Illinois, Northern District of Texas, and Southern District of Texas.
The claims made in the complaint are allegations only, and
there has been no determination of liability.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment