Milpitas(California)–The North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) is deeply concerned about the expanding immigration enforcement campaign in the United States, including the increasing removal of Indian nationals and the growing number of denaturalisation cases involving naturalised U.S. citizens. NAPA executive director Satnam Singh Chahal said that NAPA recognises and respects the sovereign authority of the United States to enforce its immigration laws. Individuals who violate immigration laws or are convicted of serious crimes must be held accountable through established legal procedures. However, immigration enforcement must remain firmly grounded in due process, equal protection and individualised assessment, rather than nationality, ethnicity or community identity.
Chahal further said that NAPA is particularly concerned about the growing public confusion between deportation and denaturalisation. A person facing removal from the United States is not automatically a candidate for citizenship revocation. Denaturalisation is a separate and serious legal process that must be supported by evidence and decided through the courts. At present, there is no reliable official nationality-based figure establishing how many Indian-origin Americans have actually been denaturalised during 2026. NAPA therefore urges media organisations, government agencies and community organisations to avoid sensational or exaggerated claims. A denaturalisation complaint is not the same as a final revocation of citizenship.
He said that NAPA believes the increasing number of denaturalisation proceedings deserves serious public scrutiny. Naturalised Americans who are accused of fraud, concealment or serious criminal conduct must have the opportunity to challenge those allegations in court. Citizenship is one of the most consequential legal statuses a person can possess, and any effort to revoke it must meet the highest standards of transparency, evidence and judicial oversight.
NAPA calls for five immediate principles that no collective punishment. Indian, Punjabi, Sikh and other immigrant communities must not be collectively stigmatized because of the actions of individual offenders. Every individual facing deportation or denaturalization must have access to legal representation and a fair opportunity to challenge the government’s allegations. U.S. authorities should provide clearer public data concerning removals, deportations, denaturalization complaints and final citizenship revocations, including accurate nationality-based statistics where legally appropriate.Protection of lawful immigrants and citizens. People who have legally built their lives in the United States should not live under unnecessary fear because of their country of birth or ethnic background. Immigrant communities must understand that false statements, fraudulent documentation, concealed criminal histories or other material misrepresentations during immigration or naturalization proceedings can have serious legal consequences. added Chahal