The Justice Department is preparing at least 250 denaturalization cases by the end of fiscal year 2026 as the Trump administration expands efforts to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans accused of fraud, concealment or criminal misconduct during the immigration process.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Justice Department is moving to sharply expand efforts to revoke U.S. citizenship from naturalized Americans accused of obtaining that status through fraud, false statements or concealed criminal conduct.
A Justice Department official cited by CNN said the Trump administration plans to file at least 250 denaturalization cases by Sept. 30, the close of fiscal year 2026.
The planned caseload represents a major increase compared with historic enforcement levels. From 1990 to 2017, the federal government filed an average of 11 denaturalization cases per year.
The new target remains a small share of the roughly 24 million naturalized U.S. citizens, but it signals a broader federal push to pursue cases involving citizenship that prosecutors say was wrongly obtained.
Federal law allows the government to seek denaturalization when citizenship was allegedly secured through concealment of material facts, willful misrepresentation or other fraud. If successful, the process strips a person of U.S. citizenship and typically returns that person to a prior immigration status, often lawful permanent residency.
That outcome can also open the door to deportation.
The administration’s effort broadens the types of cases being prioritized. Historically, denaturalization efforts were often aimed at war criminals, human rights abusers and violent offenders. The Justice Department is now pursuing a wider range of allegations, including financial crimes, immigration fraud, drug trafficking and other conduct prosecutors say should have affected the naturalization process.
In recent weeks, federal prosecutors have already filed dozens of cases across the country.
Earlier this month, the Justice Department announced 17 new denaturalization lawsuits against people accused of crimes including child sexual abuse, health care fraud, securities fraud, immigration fraud, money laundering, drug trafficking and visa fraud.
Prosecutors allege the defendants either hid criminal activity, used false identities or made false statements while seeking citizenship.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department has adopted a “zero-tolerance policy” toward individuals accused of obtaining citizenship through fraud.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the administration would continue using “every lawful avenue” to denaturalize and remove people who concealed criminal conduct during immigration proceedings.
The recent cases include defendants convicted of health care fraud schemes involving tens of millions of dollars, child sexual abuse offenses that occurred before naturalization, securities fraud conspiracies, immigration fraud involving multiple identities and large-scale drug distribution operations.
The Justice Department argues that the defendants in those cases either failed to meet the “good moral character” requirement for citizenship or concealed material facts that would have affected their eligibility.
Civil denaturalization cases must be proven in federal court. Defendants have the right to challenge the government’s claims before citizenship can be revoked.
If the Justice Department prevails, a court can cancel a certificate of naturalization under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The expanded effort marks one of the Trump administration’s most aggressive moves on citizenship enforcement, shifting denaturalization from a rarely used tool into a larger part of the federal government’s immigration and fraud agenda.
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