DOJ moves to strip citizenship of 12 people amid denaturalization push

The Justice Department moved to strip a dozen people of naturalized citizenship, a once-rare practice that the Trump administration has increasingly used.

On May 8, federal prosecutors announced denaturalization actions filed in federal court against 12 people they accuse of offenses ranging from supporting terrorist groups and committing war crimes, to sexually abusing a minor.

Between 1990 and 2017, there were an average of 11 denaturalization cases per year. In President Donald Trump’s first term, that increased to around 25 cases annually.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, federal officials can revoke a naturalized U.S. citizen’s designation if they weren’t eligible and didn’t meet requirements when they were granted citizenship. Typically, this is based on officials accusing the person of fraud, deceit or misrepresenting information when they obtained citizenship.

The denaturalization process must be adjudicated in federal court, as either criminal or civil cases.

“The Trump administration is taking action to correct these egregious violations of our immigration system,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “Those who intentionally concealed their criminal histories or misrepresented themselves during the naturalization process will face the fullest extent of the law.”

Denaturalization in the past has often been rare, applied to people accused of serious crimes and used on people who posed credible threats to public safety or national security, as well as war crimes or crimes against humanity, according to the nonprofit Immigrant Legal Resource Center.

Administration officials in Trump's second term have vowed to expand denaturalization. In June, the Justice Department issued a memo to expand denaturalization priorities under the department’s civil division.

In a recent CBS News interview, Blanche, Trump's personal lawyer during the president's 2024 criminal conviction in Manhattan criminal court, defended increased use of denaturalization. Just as the administration has prioritized removing people in the country illegally, he said the administration has the "same obligations to enforce the laws when it comes to naturalized citizens" who allegedly committed fraud or did something improper to get citizenship.

There are approximately 26 million naturalized citizens as of 2024, according to federal data. That year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it welcomed over 818,000 new citizens.

Contributing: Lauren Villagran and Mary Walrath-Holdridge

Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at [email protected] or on Signal at emcuevas.01.