Burn in the USA: Trump admin to speed up denaturalization

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has directed the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to expand efforts to revoke US citizenship from foreign-born naturalized Americans, setting internal targets of referring 100 to 200 denaturalization cases per month to the Justice Department in fiscal 2026, according to internal guidance reported this week. The directive represents a significant escalation of a legal tool that has historically been used sparingly and only in narrow circumstances.

The guidance, issued to USCIS field offices this week, instructs officials to prioritize individuals who “unlawfully obtained US citizenship” through fraud during the naturalization process. A June 2025 Justice Department memo elevated denaturalization to one of the department’s top enforcement priorities, highlighting targets such as gang members, drug cartel affiliates, financial fraudsters, and violent criminals.




But immigration advocates fear an overreach given the rising anti-immigrant sentiment in MAGA circles and the allocation of quotas, with citizens from Mexico, India, Vietnam, Philippines, who account for a large number of naturalized Americans, in the cross hairs.

Mexico topped the list in 2023 and 2024, accounting for 107,700 and 111,460 naturalized Americans respectively, while India stood second with 49,700 and 59,050 naturalisations in the past two years. In all, the US has about 26 million naturalized Americans, with up to a million qualifying foreign -born immigrants taking up US citizenship each year.

Denaturalization—the revocation of citizenship obtained through naturalization by immigrants —is permitted under federal law only when the government can prove that citizenship was obtained through material fraud or misrepresentation, concealment of key facts, or involvement in specific disqualifying conduct such as terrorism or war crimes. The burden of proof is high, requiring the government to present “clear, unequivocal, and convincing” evidence in federal court.

Historically, denaturalization has been rare. From 1990 to 2017, the United States averaged about 11 denaturalization cases per year. During President Trump’s first term, the government filed just over 100 cases across four years, compared with 24 cases under the Biden administration. In 2025, the Justice Department has pursued 13 cases, winning eight. Under the new guidance, however, USCIS would refer as many as 2,400 cases annually, a scale far exceeding past practice.

Administration officials defend the move as a necessary step to protect the integrity of citizenship. USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said the agency’s “war on fraud” includes prioritizing denaturalization for individuals who lied or misrepresented themselves, particularly under prior administrations. Supporters also argue the government has long underenforced existing law.

Critics, including former USCIS officials and immigrant rights advocates, warn that imposing numerical targets risks politicizing a grave legal remedy. Sarah Pierce, a former USCIS policy official, called the quotas “arbitrary numerical targets” that could turn a “serious and rare tool into a blunt instrument.” Amanda Baran, a former senior USCIS official under President Biden, said citizenship is “too precious and fundamental to our democracy” to be treated with an enforcement metric.

Civil liberties groups have raised concerns that quotas could lead to mistakes and overreach. Margy O’Herron of the Brennan Center for Justice warned that high-volume targets, similar to those seen in deportation efforts, could result in errors and generate fear among naturalized citizens. Immigration advocates also say the policy could have a chilling effect, creating a two-tier citizenship and reshaping how secure citizenship feels for millions of Americans born abroad.