The United States on Monday revoked the citizenship of India-born taxi driver Gurmeet Singh, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman at knifepoint in 2011, according to a release issued by the US Department of Justice.
The US District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued an order cancelling the naturalisation of Singh, who was convicted of rape. Denaturalisation, or the revocation of citizenship, can only take place after a federal court issues an order. The process is complex and is generally pursued when an individual is found to have misled authorities to obtain citizenship or has been convicted of serious crimes.
Gurmeet Singh entered the United States in February 1992 on a temporary visa for a stay of no more than six months. However, he remained in the country without authorisation for several years before obtaining permanent residency in June 2000 through a family-based immigrant visa petition.
“American citizenship is not a shield for criminals…He concealed a rape and kidnapping during the naturalization process, and a federal court has now revoked his citizenship,” he said. The survivor later managed to escape from the taxi and, at dawn, approached a person on the street for help.
