Indian-origin taxi driver Gurmeet Singh stripped of US citizenship.
A federal court has revoked the US citizenship of Gurmeet Singh, an India-born taxi driver convicted of raping a passenger at knifepoint in 2011. According to the Department of Justice, the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York entered judgment on August 26, ordering Singh to surrender the citizenship he obtained by concealing the crime during his naturalization process.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “American citizenship is not a shield for criminals,” adding that Singh “concealed a rape and kidnapping during the naturalization process, and a federal court has now revoked his citizenship.” The department said the ruling shows it will continue to pursue denaturalization cases “expeditiously.”
How did Singh enter the US and later commit the crime?
Singh first entered the United States in February 1992 on a temporary six-month visa, according to the Justice Department. He stayed in the country without authorization for several years before a family-based visa petition allowed him to gain permanent residency in June 2000.
In May 2011, weeks before he applied for citizenship, Singh was working as a taxi driver when he picked up a female passenger who fell asleep during the ride. The department said Singh drove her to a location without witnesses, and when she woke up, she found him on top of her with a knife at her throat. He threatened her, bound and gagged her, blindfolded her, removed her clothing, and raped her. The victim later escaped the cab and found help on the street.
What happened after the attack?
The Justice Department said Singh hid these actions during his naturalization proceedings and became a US citizen on October 19, 2011. He was later convicted in New York of first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping as a sexually motivated felony, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
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Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said, “Singh unlawfully obtained the privileges of US citizenship by concealing horrible criminal acts,” and said the department “will continue to protect the integrity of the citizenship process.”
US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York said the court’s judgment “sends a strong message to those who obtain citizenship through deceit.”
The department noted that the ruling followed a complaint it filed on February 2, and the case was handled by Trial Attorney Christopher Lyerla and Assistant US Attorney Layaliza Soloveichik.
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Indian-origin taxi driver Gurmeet Singh stripped of US citizenship.
