The U.S. Department of Justice is pursuing a civil case to denaturalize a convicted Cuban spy, arguing the individual should not have been granted U.S. citizenship. Multiple outlets report that the DOJ targets a man described as one of the most prolific Cuban espionage figures uncovered in the United States. ABC News and the Washington Times say the case follows a conviction for spying on behalf of the Cuban government. The Washington Times adds that the DOJ is pursuing similar denaturalization efforts involving other categories of defendants, including people accused of serious crimes and terrorism-related offenses.
The New York Post states that the spy briefly served as a U.S. ambassador to Bolivia in the early 2000s while allegedly providing secrets to Cuba, though the other sources focus more generally on the conviction and DOJ’s denaturalization effort. Across reporting, the government’s central claim is that citizenship should be revoked because the person’s criminal conduct would have prevented the grant of status had it been known. The matter proceeds through DOJ’s civil complaint seeking to strip citizenship.
