Trump administration escalates denaturalization campaign against naturalized citizens

The Trump administration has dramatically escalated efforts to revoke citizenship from naturalized Americans, making denaturalization a top-five enforcement priority for the Department of Justice (DOJ).

A June 11, 2025 memo from Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate directs the DOJ’s Civil Division to “maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by evidence,” marking a sharp departure from the historically rare use of this measure, which averaged only 11 cases annually between 1990 and 2017.

The memo outlines broad categories for denaturalization, including national security threats, human rights violations, criminal organization affiliations, fraud, violent crimes, and material misrepresentation during naturalization. It also contains a catch-all provision allowing prosecutors wide discretion to pursue any case deemed "sufficiently important," raising concerns about potential political targeting.

This policy affects approximately 24.5 million naturalized citizens—over half of the U.S. immigrant population—concentrated mainly in California, Florida, New York, and Texas. Critics warn that the aggressive use of civil litigation for denaturalization, which lacks the right to government-appointed counsel and uses a lower burden of proof than criminal cases, threatens due process protections guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.

High-profile cases have already emerged, such as Elliott Duke, a UK-born U.S. military veteran whose citizenship was revoked after failing to disclose a prior criminal conviction. Political figures like New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani have also faced denaturalization threats, fueling accusations of politically motivated enforcement.

The administration has institutionalized denaturalization efforts, building dedicated DOJ capacity and leveraging data-mining operations initiated under previous administrations to identify potentially fraudulent naturalizations. Legal experts caution that this expansive approach risks creating a two-tiered citizenship system, undermining the stability and security of naturalized citizens.

The policy is expected to face significant constitutional challenges in federal courts due to due process and equal protection concerns. Meanwhile, civil rights groups and immigration advocates criticize the program as government overreach that could deter lawful permanent residents from seeking citizenship.