Washington, DC – NIAC has joined 73 other organizations to file an amicus brief in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that threatens to allow the government to strip individuals of their U.S. citizenship for making minor, immaterial misstatements during the immigration process. Traditionally, stripping naturalized citizens of their citizenship has been reserved for individuals who lie about involvement in terrorism or genocide rather than minor immaterial misstatements.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit has held that a naturalized American citizen can be stripped of their citizenship in a criminal proceeding based on an immaterial false statement. This departs from the holdings of the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 1st, 4th, 7th and 9th Circuits. The case is set to be argued before the US Supreme Court on April 26, 2017 in a case known as case is Maslenjak v. U.S.
If the Supreme Court accepts the 6th Circuit’s holding, the citizenship of naturalized Iranian Americans could potentially be targeted by overzealous officials if they can find evidence of minor misstatements during the naturalization process.
Through this action, NIAC is taking a stand with other organizations that are committed to protecting the diversity, civil rights, and tolerance that are core American values. These values are under assault and many members of our community are particularly vulnerable.
Other organizations that signed include the Southern Poverty Law Center, National Council of Jewish Women, National Association of Social Workers, Council on American Islamic Relations, HIAS Pennsylvania, League of Women Voters US, and the Hispanic National Bar Association.
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