Trump admin seeks denaturalization of convicted sex-offender from Ghana

The US Department of Justice has filed a civil denaturalization action in the US District Court for the District of Maryland, seeking to revoke the citizenship of Nicholas Eshun, a Ghanaian native who became a US citizen through an naturalization process available to US servicemembers, after he was convicted of attempting to sexually abuse a person he thought to be a 14-year-old girl.

Federal officials say Eshun obtained citizenship under a legal provision reserved for members of the armed forces that requires at least five years of honorable service. But after he naturalized, the Marine Corps court-martialed Eshun and ultimately dishonorably discharged him following a conviction tied to attempted sexual abuse of someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

“As alleged, this defendant betrayed the uniform, abused the trust of this nation, and targeted who he believed was a child,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said. He added that the department is using “every lawful tool” to protect the public and emphasized that, in the department’s view, citizenship should not serve “as a shield for criminals who never deserved it in the first place.”

According to the Justice Department, Eshun immigrated to the United States and enlisted in the US Marine Corps in October 2011, about 10 months after his arrival. He naturalized in 2013 through a statute that speeds the path to citizenship for individuals actively serving in the US military. The government alleges that two years later, while serving overseas, he exchanged explicit messages with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl and attempted to sexually abuse her. Authorities say the “girl” was actually an undercover NCIS officer, and the interaction led to criminal proceedings within the military justice system.

The Marine Corps dishonorably discharged Eshun on May 16, 2016, after about four and a half years of service, the department said, short of the five years of honorable service required to retain citizenship gained under the military provision at issue. The Justice Department argues that this makes him subject to denaturalization under 8 U.S.C. § 1440(c), a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that applies when a servicemember naturalizes through military service but is later dishonorably discharged before completing the required period of honorable service.

The case is a civil lawsuit, not a new criminal prosecution. If the government prevails, the court could revoke Eshun’s US citizenship because he no longer qualifies under the statute he used to naturalize. Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, who leads the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said, “Today’s denaturalization against Nicholas Eshun, a court-martialed sex offender, demonstrates the United States’ commitment to using every tool available under the law,” Shumate said, crediting investigators with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) for uncovering the underlying conduct.