Who Is Gurmeet Singh? Why US Revoked Indian-Origin Man’s Citizenship

Gurmeet Singh, an Indian-origin man who became a US citizen in 2011, has had his naturalisation revoked by a US federal court after he concealed a rape and kidnapping during the citizenship process. Singh, who was convicted in New York and sentenced to 20 years in prison, is currently serving his sentence.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) said the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York entered judgment revoking Singh’s naturalisation. The department said Singh had concealed the crimes when he applied to become a US citizen, allowing him to naturalise on October 19, 2011.

Who is Gurmeet Singh?

Singh was born in India and entered the United States in February 1992 on a visitor visa that allowed him to stay for no more than six months. However, he stayed in the US without authorisation for several years.

According to the DOJ, Singh later obtained permanent residency in June 2000 through a family-based immigrant visa petition. He was working as a taxi driver at the time of the incident.

The New Indian Express reported Singh hails from Punjab and reported that he is now 55 years old. The report said he was convicted in 2014 after abducting and raping a female passenger in New York in 2011.

Singh subsequently became a US citizen on October 19, 2011. The DOJ said he had concealed the rape and kidnapping throughout the naturalisation proceedings.

Singh was convicted after he became a US citizen. He was convicted in New York of first-degree rape and second-degree kidnapping as a sexually motivated felony and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

What happened in the rape and kidnapping case?

The incident took place in May 2011, just weeks before Singh filed his application to become a US citizen.

According to the DOJ, Singh was driving a female passenger who had fallen asleep during the journey. Instead of taking her to her destination, he drove her to a location where there were no witnesses.

When the woman woke up, Singh was on top of her with a knife held against her throat. The DOJ said he threatened her, bound and gagged her, blindfolded her, removed her clothes and raped her.

The woman later escaped from the taxi and ran to a person on the street for help at dawn.

The Mint reported that Singh was convicted in 2014 in connection with the violent sexual assault of a young female passenger who had been travelling to her East Village apartment after being picked up from Williamsburg.

Despite the incident taking place before his citizenship application, Singh did not disclose the crime during his naturalisation proceedings. The DOJ said this concealment led to him obtaining US citizenship in October 2011.

After his conviction, Singh was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Mint reported that he is serving his sentence at Shawangunk Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Wallkill.

Why was Singh's US citizenship revoked?

The DOJ's action is based on the claim that Singh obtained US citizenship by concealing the rape and kidnapping during the naturalisation process.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “American citizenship is not a shield for criminals.” He said Singh had concealed the rape and kidnapping and that a federal court had therefore revoked his citizenship.

Assistant Attorney General Brett A Shumate of the DOJ's Civil Division said Singh had “unlawfully obtained” the privileges of US citizenship by concealing his criminal acts. The department said it would continue pursuing cases involving people who defraud the US immigration system.

The DOJ filed a complaint against Singh on February 2. The court subsequently entered an order on August 26 revoking his naturalisation. US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr said the judgment requires Singh to surrender his wrongfully obtained citizenship.

The Mint reported that Brooklyn federal judge Nicholas Garaufis ordered Singh to surrender his citizenship documents, including his naturalisation certificate and US passport, by September 16.

The revocation of citizenship is separate from Singh's criminal sentence. He remains in prison for the rape and kidnapping conviction. The Mint reported that he is scheduled for release in February 2029, after which the Department of Homeland Security will decide whether he should be deported.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Christopher Lyerla of the DOJ's Civil Division's Office of Immigration Litigation and Assistant US Attorney Layaliza Soloveichik for the Eastern District of New York.

The department said the court's judgment demonstrates its resolve to pursue denaturalisation proceedings where permitted by law and supported by the evidence.