The Department of Justice (DOJ) expanded its denaturalization operations. According to USA Today, the department wants at least two hundred and fifty denaturalization cases opened by October 2026. As of July 22, it had filed roughly eighty-nine cases since the start of the current administration. This is four times what the Biden administration reached over its entire four-year term, when the government brought only twenty-four cases. The first Trump administration filed just over one hundred cases during its four years in office.
Federal law allows judges to revoke citizenship obtained through fraud or willful misrepresentation. This can include using a false identity or concealing a criminal record during the naturalization process.
Certain members of Congress introduced bills making denaturalization easier. Texas Representative Chip Roy’s MAMDANI Act would make anyone who belongs to, or advocates for, a socialist, communist, or Islamic fundamentalist party eligible for denaturalization, deportation, or denial of citizenship. Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt’s SCAM Act would create a pathway for denaturalizing people convicted of an aggravated felony, espionage, or certain fraud and terrorism-related offenses within ten years of becoming a citizen. Current law generally requires proof that citizenship was obtained through fraud in the first place, not new conduct that comes afterward.
As always, ILBSG actively monitors ongoing U.S. immigration news. If you have questions about any U.S. immigration related issue, contact us. Working with an experienced attorney ensures you get the right advice based on the most recent laws. In an ever-evolving immigration policy landscape, it’s particularly critical you get the right advice.