The Department of Justice is revoking the citizenship of 40 naturalized citizens who have been accused of various crimes. The sweeping effort is in line with the Trump administration’s escalation of immigration enforcement.
Who is being targeted?
This week’s announcement marks the “largest denaturalization effort in modern history,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche in a press release. From an “individual convicted of espionage” to those convicted of other serious offenses, the defendants “concealed critical facts” from the government and “represent serious criminal offenders.” Under Trump’s leadership, the DOJ will “continue to employ the denaturalization process” to “maintain our national security” and “protect the American people.”
The denaturalization petitions were “lodged against the 40 individuals” between Aug. 10 and Oct. 2, said Time. They have been accused of a variety of crimes, including “child sexual abuse, fraud and tax evasion.” Not all were “convicted of or pleaded guilty to violent crimes,” said USA Today. At least “19 of the 40 people” faced denaturalization proceedings for “reasons related to accusations of lying on visa forms.”
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a federal court can revoke naturalized U.S. citizenship if the government establishes that the citizenship was “illegally obtained or procured through concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation,” said Newsweek.
How does this fit into Trump’s larger agenda?
The Justice Department has “made denaturalization a priority” under the Trump administration’s “hard-line immigration crackdown,” said Newsweek. In June 2025, the Justice Department’s Civil Division in an internal memo directed attorneys to “prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence.” The guidance cited “fraud or willful misrepresentation in obtaining citizenship, certain criminal conduct and national security concerns” among the grounds for pursuing cases,” said Newsweek.
What used to be a “rare process reserved for the most egregious offenders” has become “common during Trump’s presidential terms,” said Time. At one point, Trump “leveled the threat at his political enemies” like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and tech titan and “on-again, off-again ally” Elon Musk. The administration allegedly plans to file at least 250 denaturalization cases by this October, said an unnamed senior Justice Department official, per CNN.
The rarely deployed legal process is being used far more frequently as a tool for Trump’s greater efforts to curtail immigration
