I have a criminal record, and have heard that there are crimes
that prevent me from becoming a US citizen.
What are those crimes?
A criminal record can prevent you from establishing the Good
Moral Character requirement for naturalization.
There are certain crimes that will automatically prevent you from becoming
a US citizen, and they are as follows:
·
Murder
·
Conviction of aggravated felony after November 29, 1990.
o
The following are aggravated felonies in the immigration
context
§
Murder, rape, or sexual abuse of a minor
§
Child pornography offense
§
Illicit trafficking in controlled substances
§
Illicit trafficking in firearms
§
Alien smuggling
§
Money laundering in excess of $10,000
§
Fraud or deceit offenses or tax evasion over
$10,000
§
Explosive materials and firearms offenses
§
Crime of violence (imprisonment of at least 1
year)
§
Theft Offense (imprisonment of at least 1 year)
§
Demand or Receipt of Ransom
§
Racketeering, illegal gambling (imprisonment of
at least 1 year)
§
Prostitution offenses (managing/pimping,
transporting, trafficking)
§
Gathering or transmitting classified information
§
Illegal entry or reentry by a removed aggravated
felon (previously deported)
§
Passport fraud (imprisonment of at least 1 year)
§
Failure to appear for sentencing (underlying
offense with imprisonment term of at least 5 years)
§
Bribery, counterfeiting, forgery, or trafficking
in vehicles with altered vehicle identification numbers (VIN)
§
Obstruction of justice, perjury, bribery of
witness
§
Failure to appear in court for a crime in which
a sentence of 2 or more years may be
imposed
§
Attempt or conspiracy to commit an aggravated
felony
·
Participation in Nazi persecutions
·
Participation in genocide
·
Participation in torture or extrajudicial
killings
·
Particularly severe violations of religious
freedom while serving as a foreign government official