Aformer Catholic priest who was convicted of child sexual abuse has been stripped of his United States citizenship and ordered back to his native Colombia.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Thursday that Jorge Antonio Velez-Lopez, 69, lied on immigration and naturalization forms that he had not committed any crimes, despite the abuse years earlier.
Why It Matters
Denaturalization is rare but can happen, including if an immigrant knowingly lies on applications and is found guilty of a crime at a later date. While the case has been underway for some years, Velez-Lopez’s removal comes at a time of heightened interest in the deportation of criminal immigrants under the Trump administration.
What To Know
The Colombian was admitted into the U.S. as a temporary religious worker in 2003, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). He became a permanent resident in 2007 and a U.S. citizen in 2013.
The DOJ said that throughout his immigration journey, Velez-Lopez said he had never committed a crime for which he had not been arrested, he had never given false or misleading information to any U.S. government official while applying for an immigration benefit, nor lied in order to gain entry or admission to the U.S.
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/former-priest-stripped-citizenship-deported-child-sexual-abuse-2040945Â
