United States v. Lionel Jean-Baptiste

CUDAHY, Circuit Judge:

The right to acquire United States citizenship is precious and coveted and its successful exercise rarer than many aspirants would hope for. See Fedorenko v. United States, 449 U.S. 490, 505, 101 S.Ct. 737, 66 L.Ed.2d 686 (1981). Accordingly, when the government seeks to strip citizenship from one who has acquired it, denaturalization proceedings can have “severe and unsettling consequences.” Id. Here, we address the question whether a naturalized citizen who committed certain unlawful acts during the statutory period prior to taking the oath of allegiance but for which…