The 40 people involved committed crimes ranging from serious violent offenses to crimes related to lying on immigration forms.

The Department of Homeland Security is moving to strip U.S. citizenship from 40 people accused of crimes, rapidly expanding the department’s use of little-known denaturalization mechanisms.

Among the crimes that people were convicted of - and for which they faced denaturalization - included aggravated sodomy, transportation of child pornography and sexual abuse of a minor.

Not all were convicted of or pleaded guilty to violent crimes. At least 19 of the 40 people faced denaturalization proceedings for reasons related to accusations of lying on visa forms.