U.S. Justice Department Pursues Denaturalization Against 12, One Tied to Al-Qaeda Support

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched denaturalization proceedings against 12 individuals nationwide, charged with grave misconduct, per a Friday DOJ announcement.

"People involved in fraud, brutal crimes like sexual abuse, or backing terrorism never deserved U.S. citizenship," stated Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. "The Trump administration is addressing these major flaws in our immigration framework. Anyone who hid criminal pasts or lied during naturalization will confront the full force of justice."

Among them stands Khalid Ouazzani, a 48-year-old Moroccan who sought U.S. citizenship in 2005 and gained it in 2006. The DOJ notes Ouazzani schemed to aid Al-Qaeda with two associates, later convicted for plotting to bomb the New York Stock Exchange, beginning in 2003. By 2007, he wired tens of thousands of dollars to the terrorist group. In 2008, he swore loyalty to it. Ouazzani admitted guilt in May 2010 to bank fraud, money laundering, and furnishing material support to Al-Qaeda.

The denaturalization case against Ouazzani claims he lied under oath about his commitment to the U.S. Constitution during naturalization.

U.S. Revives Deportation Case Against Pro-Palestinian Columbia Student Mahdawi

The U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals has restored deportation actions targeting pro-Palestinian Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi, based on a recent court document from his attorneys.

In February, a U.S. immigration judge denied the Trump administration's push to remove the student, detained last year after joining pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

Nina Froes, the Massachusetts immigration judge who halted the deportation bid, was dismissed by the Trump administration last month.

The DOJ's Board of Immigration Appeals reversed Froes' ruling.

President Trump accuses figures like Mahdawi of antisemitism, extremism support, and undermining U.S. foreign interests.

Mahdawi, raised in a West Bank refugee camp, was detained in April 2025 at his citizenship interview. He spent two weeks in custody before a judge ordered release; no charges followed.

The ACLU, Mahdawi's defenders, argues deportation remains blocked pending a federal court challenge to his arrest.