On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin hosted a press conference in New York City, announcing the success of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Operation Rotten Apple.
Describing some of them as the “worst” illegal aliens arrested in Operation Rotten Apple, DHS listed 10 individuals, providing their photos, who were from different countries of origin. They included Palvinder Singh, “an illegal alien from India, whose criminal history includes a conviction for rape in Germany,” the press release said.
The operation, which took place from July 27 to August 29, resulted in the arrests of 2,197 illegal aliens across the state of New York, a press release from DHS said.
“Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of ICE and our federal partners, Operation Rotten Apple did what sanctuary politicians in New York City and the state of New York refuse to do: made the Empire State safer,” said Secretary Mullin. “Over the course of this operation, we arrested murderers, rapists, pedophiles, drug traffickers, and violent assailants. And we did it with no help from Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul,” Mullin asserted, warning, “… we won’t let sanctuary politicians stand in our way. If you’re a state or local politician, your best bet is to cooperate with us so we can all make America safe again.”
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A day before that, on August 31, US Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on X that an Indian national had been de-naturalized, in effect, his US citizenship had been revoked, on grounds that he lied or hid certain facts during the naturalization process.
“This convicted rapist from India is no longer a U.S. citizen,” AG Blanche posted on X. “Gurmeet Singh concealed a rape and kidnapping during the naturalization process, and a federal court has now revoked his citizenship,” he added.
AG Blanche went on to say, “@TheJusticeDept took this case across the finish line, and we will continue to move expeditiously on denaturalization referrals. … Fraudulently obtained citizenship WILL NOT protect criminals from justice.”