The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil denaturalisation complaint against Victor Manuel Rocha, seeking to revoke his United States citizenship following his conviction for acting as an unregistered agent of the Republic of Cuba.
The complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, according to a statement issued Friday by the Justice Department’s Office of Public Affairs.
Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said individuals who obtained citizenship through fraud or deception should not retain it.
“Under no circumstances should an agent of a foreign adversary be permitted to hold the title of American citizen,” Shumate said.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said Rocha’s actions represented a serious breach of trust.
“This civil denaturalisation case is about finishing the job,” he said, adding that the complaint alleges Rocha obtained citizenship through lies, concealment, and misrepresentation.
Background of the case
According to the Justice Department, Rocha is a native of Colombia who was convicted of serving as a covert agent for Cuba while living in the United States.
Prosecutors said he began spying for Cuba as early as 1973, years before becoming a U.S. citizen in 1978, and later admitted to working for Cuban intelligence services during criminal proceedings.
In 2023, Rocha was charged with multiple offences including conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and passport fraud. He pleaded guilty in April 2024 and is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence.
The Justice Department said Rocha made false statements during his naturalisation process, including denying affiliation with the Communist Party of Cuba and failing to disclose his intelligence activities.
Government seeks revocation of citizenship
The civil complaint includes seven separate grounds for denaturalisation, arguing that Rocha was never legally eligible for U.S. citizenship.
These include allegations that he:
- Engaged in unlawful activity
- Gave false testimony during naturalisation
- Concealed material facts about his involvement with Cuban intelligence
- Was affiliated with and supportive of the Communist Party of Cuba
- Lacked allegiance to U.S. constitutional principles
The government also argues that Rocha obtained citizenship through willful misrepresentation and concealment of his espionage activities.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Denaturalisation Unit of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida are handling the litigation.
Officials stressed that the allegations in the complaint remain claims at this stage and have not yet been adjudicated in court.
