Minnesota Man Originally from Somalia is One of 17 Trump Administration Targets for Denaturalization

By Aki Nace

June 8, 2026 / 2:36 PM CDT / CBS Minnesota

A 54-year-old Minnesota immigrant from Somalia is one of 17 people the Trump administration is targeting in its latest denaturalization campaign.

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota filed a civil denaturalization complaint against Abdikadir Kadiye on Wednesday. He faces several counts, including illegal procurement of naturalization and procurement of naturalization by concealment of a material fact.

Starting in 1997, Kadiye tried to enter the United States by filing two separate identities, the U.S. Department of Justice says. 

He initially said his name was Liban M. Degel, claiming he was married with no children, but after an immigration judge denied his application, he submitted a second application in 1998 under the name Kadiye, according to the complaint.

Justice Department officials said Kadiye told a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent that he had previously used two identities during his admission process.

Federal law allows the government to try to denaturalize foreign-born U.S. citizens who officials believe committed fraud to obtain their citizenship. 

But the historically complex process has rarely been implemented; between 1990 and 2017, the Justice Department filed an average of just 11 legal complaints per year seeking to denaturalize American citizens, according to historical data. Last month, officials announced a dozen denaturalization cases.

The other 16 people targeted by the justice department on Monday are accused of a range of crimes from sex abuse of a minor and distributing drugs to committing immigration fraud.

Camilo Montoya-Galvez contributed to this report.