4 African Nations Listed Among 17 Countries Whose Citizens Will Be Stripped of US Citizenship

• The US Department of Justice filed 40 denaturalisation complaints between August 21 and October 2, 2026, targeting naturalised citizens from at least 20 countries
• Nationals from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon are among those named in what officials described as the largest such effort in modern history
• The defendants face accusations ranging from concealing criminal records and fraudulent immigration documents to hiding child sexual abuse before naturalisation

The United States Department of Justice has filed 40 denaturalisation complaints against naturalised citizens from at least 20 countries, including four in Sub-Saharan Africa, in what officials are calling the most sweeping such effort in modern American history.

Court filings show the complaints were submitted over a six-week window between 21 August and 2 October 2026.

Mexico accounts for the largest share of defendants, with 11 individuals named. Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon are the African nations represented in the filings.

Read also

Ghanaians listed among foreigners facing US denaturalisation over serious offenses, details emerge

African nationals named in the complaints

Beatrice Chioma Nwaoha Ashamole, a 54-year-old Nigerian national, is named in a complaint filed in the District of Maryland on 25 September. Prosecutors allege she concealed prior aliases, arrests, an earlier immigration application, and previous deportations when she applied for citizenship.

A Sierra Leonean national, Ifeolu Samuel Akingbemisilu, 58, faces a complaint filed in the Northern District of Georgia on 18 September. Prosecutors allege he entered the United States under the name Anthony Davies, was ordered removed, and subsequently re-entered using a fraudulent British passport before naturalising through marriage to a US citizen.

Francis Darko Asamoah, 56, from Ghana, faces a 30 September complaint filed in the Eastern District of Virginia. He is accused of misrepresenting his parental status on his naturalisation application in order to avoid closer scrutiny of his marriage to a US citizen.

Anita Moanjeh Atem, a 48-year-old Cameroonian national, is named in a 25 September complaint filed in the District of Maryland. Prosecutors allege she concealed a history of sexually abusing a minor between 2004 and 2007, before she was naturalised in 2009.

Read also

Mahama pardons over 800 prisoners, gives special reason

DOJ describes cases as unprecedented in scope

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, citizenship obtained through the concealment of material facts or wilful misrepresentation may be revoked by federal courts.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said the filings marked a historic threshold. "Today's announcement marks the largest denaturalisation effort in modern history. From an individual convicted of espionage to others convicted of sexual offences against minors, these defendants concealed critical facts from the US government," he said.

Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, who heads the DOJ's Civil Division, added: "Every single one of these individuals lied their way into US citizenship. This administration will continue to pursue the largest denaturalisation effort in department history."

The scale of the current push stands in sharp contrast to historical norms. Federal courts handled an average of 11 denaturalisation cases per year between 1990 and 2017, according to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. The 40 complaints filed within six weeks represent a dramatic acceleration of that pace.

Read also

Arrangement and Lancaster's lawyers make major plea to US court in romance fraud case

The Department of Homeland Security has been directed to refer between 100 and 200 cases monthly to the Justice Department during fiscal year 2026, with officials reportedly identifying 384 potential targets as of April 2026. Human rights organisations and legal experts have raised concerns that the process risks leaving individuals stateless and may disproportionately affect specific communities.

US orders African TPS nationals to leave

Previously, YEN.com.gh reported that the US had cautioned Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders from Ethiopia and 12 other countries, ordering them to leave the country.

This comes after a federal court removed the final legal barrier blocking their removal.

Source: YEN.com.gh