Justice Dept Targets Hundreds in New Denaturalization Effort; 384 Foreign-Born Americans Face Loss of Citizenship

The Trump administration is taking a firm stance against individuals who secured American citizenship through fraud, with a New York Times report revealing that 384 foreign-born citizens have already been earmarked for removal.

This effort marks the start of a broader campaign to accelerate the stripping of legal status by delegating these specific files to prosecutors within US attorney's offices nationwide.

Justice Department Expands Enforcement

During a meeting last week, high-ranking Justice Department officials in Washington informed staff that civil lawyers across 39 regional branches would soon be tasked with launching these legal proceedings. While two sources with knowledge of the strategy have verified this intensified push to revoke citizenship, the plan remains unofficial. Furthermore, the identities of the 384 people targeted and the specific criteria used to select them stay hidden from the public.

Justice Department spokesperson Matthew Tragesser told the NYT that officials are 'pursuing the highest volume of denaturalisation referrals in history' from the Department of Homeland Security. He further noted that the department is 'laser focused on rooting out criminal aliens defrauding the naturalisation process.'

Shift From Specialised Litigation

While specialists within the department's office of immigration litigation have historically managed these proceedings, the move to involve standard prosecutors marks a significant shift that could drastically increase the frequency of such cases.

This strategy follows a directive issued only months ago by Trump administration officials, which instructed Department of Homeland Security staff to begin forwarding at least 200 files for review to the DOJ every month. This push signals an end to an era where stripping citizenship was considered a rare occurrence in the American legal system.

'Citizenship fraud is a serious crime; anyone who has broken the law and obtained citizenship through fraud and deceit will be held accountable,' Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said.

Anxiety Among Naturalised Citizens

This shift suggests the Trump administration is following through on its pledge to accelerate the stripping of citizenship as a core element of its immigration crackdown. Such a move is poised to create widespread anxiety among naturalised immigrants, particularly as the administration has worked to restrict immigration on all fronts and frequently used disparaging language regarding migrants from specific nations.

'The message it sends is that naturalized citizens don't have the same rights and stability as native-born citizens,' said Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia. 'The government has used this power in the past to target people it views as political opponents.'

Historical Context of Revocation

From 2017 until late last year, the government attempted to strip the status of just over 120 naturalised Americans. Frost, an expert on the history of these proceedings, noted that such cases were significantly less frequent before President Trump originally took office. Between 1990 and 2017, official records show only 305 filings occurred, which amounts to an average of just 11 cases annually.

Those gaining US citizenship undergo rigorous vetting, including biometric checks and detailed inquiries into their criminal records, travel, or Communist Party affiliations. Eligibility typically requires holding a green card for five years, though those married to citizens may qualify after three. To finalise the process, applicants must complete both English and civics examinations.

Previous Instances of Fraud

Fraudulent cases have surfaced in the past. A 2017 Department of Homeland Security inspector general report highlighted that an effort to digitise old paper-based fingerprints exposed significant gaps. The audit revealed that over 800 individuals had successfully secured American citizenship even though they had previously been deported under different identities.

Federal data shows that over 818,000 immigrants attained American citizenship in 2024. While naturalised individuals hold nearly identical rights and duties to those born in the US—with the exception of seeking the presidency—the legal threshold for revoking their status remains exceptionally high.

'For civil revocation of naturalization, the burden of proof is clear, convincing, and unequivocal evidence which does not leave the issue in doubt,' the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service said on its website.