NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Wichita, KS, August 13, 2026 — The U.S. government has filed a civil lawsuit seeking to revoke the citizenship of an Indian-born Kansas man, alleging that he obtained U.S. citizenship after concealing an earlier immigration history and using a different identity.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas said the denaturalization action was filed Aug. 7 against Harinder Singh, also known as Harinder Singh Sanghera and Rushpal Singh, of Olathe, Kansas.
According to the government’s complaint, Singh first came to the attention of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service in 1991 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, where he allegedly identified himself as Rushpal Singh.
An immigration judge ordered him deported in August 1995, and the Board of Immigration Appeals subsequently upheld the decision, according to federal prosecutors. The government said it has no record that Singh departed the United States pursuant to that order.
Less than a year later, in June 1996, Singh allegedly applied for an immigration benefit under the name Harinder Singh. Federal authorities claim that in addition to using a different name, he provided a different date of birth, date of entry into the United States and factual basis for his immigration claim.
The INS approved that application, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In October 2000, Singh was granted lawful permanent resident status under the Harinder Singh identity. Eight years later, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen using that identity and immigration history, the government alleges.
Federal prosecutors contend that Singh did not disclose his earlier immigration proceedings under the name Rushpal Singh when he applied for naturalization.
The government is asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas to revoke and set aside the order granting Singh citizenship and cancel his certificate of naturalization.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, naturalized citizenship can be revoked through a federal court proceeding if the government establishes that it was illegally obtained or was procured through concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation.
The allegations against Singh have not yet been adjudicated, and the filing of a civil denaturalization complaint does not itself revoke his citizenship.
The Justice Department said the case comes amid a sharp increase in denaturalization enforcement. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the department has filed approximately 123 civil denaturalization complaints since Jan. 20, 2025, which it described as the highest number in recorded history.
The government’s lawsuit seeks civil, rather than criminal, relief. Singh’s citizenship would remain in place unless and until a federal court orders it revoked.
