The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a civil complaint to denaturalize a convicted child sex offender on Friday, court documents allege.
Erwin Roberto Galindo, who became a naturalized United States citizen in January 2015, allegedly sexually abused an 11-year-old in 1997 and a 14-year-old in 2009, according to court documents filed by the department. He was also convicted in California “on two counts of lewd or lascivious acts upon a child,” while other charges, including rape and sexual penetration by threat, were dropped.
“[The] Defendant willfully misrepresented and concealed his criminal conduct throughout his naturalization process,” the document reads in part. “Had he disclosed his criminal conduct, it would have clarified that he was ineligible to naturalize.”
Galindo answered no when asked, “Have you ever committed a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?”
According to the documents, Galindo also “never disclosed or discussed—during his naturalization interview or elsewhere in his naturalization application—having ever committed sex offenses against minors, including M.G. or J.R., crimes for which he had not then been arrested.”
“This Department of Justice will continue to strip citizenship from those who commit heinous crimes and conceal them during the naturalization process,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “American citizenship is a great and sacred privilege that must be earned honestly,” she continued.
Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate also stated Galindo “should not ever have become a U.S. citizen,” and that the administration would “not hesitate to take his citizenship back.”
The Trump administration has recently sought to escalate the denaturalization of citizens who obtained naturalized status fraudulently. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services field offices were asked to send between 100 and 200 denaturalization cases per month throughout fiscal year 2026, according to internal guidance received in December 2025.
President Donald Trump also said in a January interview with the New York Times that he would denaturalize American citizens “in a heartbeat if they were dishonest.”
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