The Justice Department filed 25 civil denaturalization cases between July 20 and Aug. 3, bringing the Trump administration’s total to 123 cases and marking what officials called the largest such enforcement effort in recorded history.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Department of Justice filed 25 denaturalization cases over a two-week period, targeting naturalized U.S. citizens accused of concealing serious crimes or making material misrepresentations while obtaining citizenship.
The complaints, filed between July 20 and Aug. 3 in several federal district courts, represent the largest concentrated denaturalization action undertaken by the department, according to an Aug. 3 statement.
The defendants are accused of offenses including assault, battery, attempted murder and sexual assault. The Justice Department said the cases involve people who allegedly obtained citizenship illegally or hid conduct that could have affected their eligibility for naturalization.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a federal court may revoke a person’s naturalized citizenship and cancel the certificate of naturalization when the government proves citizenship was illegally obtained or secured through concealment or willful misrepresentation of material facts.
The latest filings bring the number of civil denaturalization cases initiated under the current Trump administration to 123, which the department described as the highest total in recorded history.
“U.S. citizenship is one of our nation’s highest privileges, and it must be obtained lawfully and honestly,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in the statement.
Among those targeted is Tatiana Power, 46, a native of Moldova who became a naturalized citizen in 2010.
Power was accused in 2021 of participating in a business that sold videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of children. The Justice Department said she admitted taking part in the activity before obtaining U.S. citizenship.
Federal officials are seeking to revoke Power’s citizenship based on both the underlying criminal conduct and alleged misrepresentations made during the naturalization process.
Another complaint was filed against Jose Luis Martinez-Zavala, 80, a native of Mexico who was naturalized in 2014.
The department alleged that Martinez-Zavala failed to disclose during the naturalization process that he had committed aggravated sexual assault against a child in 2010. He was convicted of the offense in 2020.
While applying for citizenship, Martinez-Zavala swore that he had not committed a crime for which he had been arrested, according to the Justice Department.
A separate case involves Dwyane Robinson, 44, a native of Jamaica who obtained citizenship through his service in the U.S. military.
Robinson was later convicted of attempted first-degree murder after shooting and attempting to kill a man. He was discharged from the U.S. Army in 2013 while awaiting trial in the criminal case.
The Justice Department filed a complaint seeking Robinson’s denaturalization last month.
During immigration or naturalization proceedings, citizenship may be revoked through either a civil lawsuit or as part of a criminal conviction, according to a July 13 update from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The federal government faces a high evidentiary burden in either type of proceeding.
In a civil denaturalization case, prosecutors must present “clear, convincing, and unequivocal evidence which does not leave the issue in doubt,” USCIS said.
Criminal denaturalization proceedings require proof beyond a reasonable doubt, the same burden applied in other federal criminal cases.
USCIS may refer a case for civil revocation when evidence indicates an applicant obtained citizenship illegally, concealed important information or deliberately misrepresented facts during the naturalization process.
Legal representatives for Power, Martinez-Zavala and Robinson could not be reached by The Epoch Times.
The Justice Department’s current campaign follows a June 2025 memorandum directing its Civil Division to pursue denaturalization cases more aggressively.
The memo identified cases involving terrorism, gang activity, national security threats and undisclosed felony conduct as particular enforcement priorities.
The administration’s expanded use of denaturalization proceedings has drawn criticism from Democrats and immigration advocates.
Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., said in an April 24 post on X that naturalized citizens undergo extensive government screening before receiving citizenship.
“The President’s targeting of naturalized U.S. citizens is not only a reckless weaponization of the Department of Justice, it is an attack on core American values,” Meng said.
Republican lawmakers have argued that denaturalization laws should be strengthened to cover additional forms of serious misconduct.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., introduced the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation Act in January. The proposal would expand denaturalization procedures to include certain people who commit fraud or serious felonies or become members of terrorist organizations.
Schmitt’s office said the legislation followed reports of widespread fraud involving Somali crime networks in Minnesota, including cases in which naturalized citizens were convicted.
Federal authorities alleged last year that fraud centered within Minnesota’s Somali community diverted millions of dollars intended for federally funded social-service programs. Some Somali Americans also underwent audits related to possible immigration fraud.
“People who commit felony fraud, serious felonies, or join terrorist organizations like drug cartels shortly after taking their citizenship oaths fail to uphold the basic standards of citizenship,” Schmitt said.
“They must be denaturalized because they have proven they never met the requirements for the great honor of American citizenship in the first place.”
The bill remains under consideration in the Senate.
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