3 decades after he entered US, Indian-origin man accused of identity fraud, may lose American citizenship

When stopped in US in 1991, he identified himself as Rushpal Singh; slipped through systemic cracks after deportation order, naturalised as citizen as Harinder

The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas has announced filing a denaturalisation action against a man born in India who became a United States citizen allegedly under a false identity.

By 2000, the INS approved his application for becoming a lawful permanent resident under the identity Harinder Singh. Eight years later, he naturalised under that name. (Pexels/Representational Photo)

The authorities on August 7 filed the civil civil suit against Harinder Singh, alias Harinder Singh Sanghera, also known as Rushpal Singh, of Olathe. The US government alleges he misrepresented and concealed material facts in applying to naturalise.

Many names

When the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) initially stopped him in 1991 at JFK International Airport, he identified himself as Rushpal Singh, the authorities noted. In 1995, he was ordered to be deported. But the government has “no record Singh ever left the US pursuant to his exclusion and deportation order”, as per the Attorney's office.

The year after that, in June of 1996, Singh filed an application with the INS for an immigration benefit using the name Harinder Singh, also having changed the record of his date of birth, date of entry into the US, and the basis for his claim.

The INS, allegedly defrauded by Singh, granted the application. By 2000, the INS approved Singh’s application for becoming a lawful permanent resident under the identity Harinder Singh. Eight years later, he naturalised under that name.

“He did not disclose his prior immigration history under a different name,” said the US Justice Department.

“The US government brings this civil action to revoke and set aside the order admitting the defendant’s citizenship and to cancel his certificate of naturalization. Since January 20, 2025, the US Justice Department has filed approximately 123 civil denaturalization complaints, the most in recorded history,” it added.

Another Indian-origin man, Debashis Ghosh, is facing similar proceedings since May. He is also a naturalised US citizen whose last known residence is in Cook County, Illinois. He entered the United States multiple times on various non-immigrant visas beginning as early as 1991 and became a US citizen in 2012.

Ghosh was at the time among 12 individuals against whom the US Department of Justice announced it has filed denaturalisation actions in various US district courts. The number has since grown.