DOJ Targets 25 Naturalized Citizens for Denaturalization as Trump Elevates Rare Tool
Updated
Updated · PBS NewsHour · Aug 13
DOJ Targets 25 Naturalized Citizens for Denaturalization as Trump Elevates Rare Tool
2 articles · Updated · PBS NewsHour · Aug 13
Summary
Federal prosecutors this month sought to strip citizenship from 25 naturalized Americans, alleging they lied about their pasts and concealed serious crimes during the naturalization process.
The Justice Department has made denaturalization a top priority under President Trump, filing more such complaints since his return to office than the Biden administration did in four years.
Less than 10 denaturalization cases a year were typical in the modern era, usually tied to national security matters such as former Nazi camp guards or war-on-terror cases.
Federal court judges decide the cases, and the government must prove any false statement was material—meaning citizenship would likely have been denied if the truth had been disclosed.
Legal experts say the broader use of denaturalization marks a shift from a narrow fraud remedy toward a more aggressive immigration enforcement tool, raising concerns about politicization.
How are new digital fingerprinting technologies unearthing decades-old secrets to strip naturalized Americans of their status?
Could a forgotten mistake on an immigration form decades ago suddenly cost you your American citizenship today?
The 2025–2026 Denaturalization Surge: Inside the Largest Citizenship Revocation Campaign in U.S. History
Overview
The 2025–2026 denaturalization surge marks a dramatic shift in U.S. policy, driven by a June 2025 DOJ memo that prioritized aggressive citizenship revocations and decentralized cases to regional prosecutors. This led to an unprecedented number of denaturalization suits, with the administration ordering hundreds of monthly referrals and expanding targets to include even minor paperwork errors. As a result, many naturalized citizens now live in fear, self-censoring and disengaging from civic life. Legal safeguards remain, as federal judges must approve each case, but the campaign’s scale and lack of procedural protections have created deep anxiety and practical challenges for those at risk.