Trump's DOJ Targets Nearly 400 for Citizenship Revocation and Deportation
The Department of Justice has pinpointed around 400 foreign-born individuals it seeks to strip of their U.S. citizenship and deport, as revealed in a recent report.
Under the directive of President Donald Trump, the administration is intensifying efforts to denaturalize individuals as part of a sweeping immigration enforcement initiative.
During a meeting in Washington, D.C., senior DOJ officials disclosed that civil prosecutors across nearly 40 U.S. attorney’s offices will be tasked with filing denaturalization cases against 384 naturalized citizens, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
“This sends a clear message: naturalized citizens are not afforded the same rights and security as those born in the U.S.,” remarked Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia specializing in denaturalization issues.
Historically, stripping citizenship is an uncommon action; between 1990 and 2017, the government averaged just 11 denaturalization cases annually, as noted in a 2019 essay by Frost.
However, since Trump took office, the pace has accelerated significantly. From 2017 through late 2025, over 120 denaturalization cases have been initiated, according to previous reports.
For context, more than 7.9 million individuals were naturalized in the past decade, as per data from the Department of Homeland Security.
The Trump administration frames its approach as an effort to “root out” individuals who allegedly defrauded the naturalization process.
Matthew Tragesser, a spokesperson for the DOJ, stated that officials are “pursuing the highest volume of denaturalization referrals in history,” emphasizing a commitment to identifying “criminal aliens defrauding the naturalization process.”
The naturalization process itself is rigorous and costly. Applicants must submit biometric data, provide comprehensive personal histories—including any criminal records—and successfully complete civics and English proficiency tests.
Denaturalization can occur through federal courts if an individual is convicted of a crime or found to have committed fraud during their naturalization.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson labeled citizenship fraud a “serious crime,” asserting that “anyone who has broken the law to obtain citizenship through deceit will face consequences.”
The DOJ has circulated an internal memo outlining the administration’s policy goals, which prioritize denaturalization efforts. The memo instructs officials in the Civil Division to “prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by evidence.”
Furthermore, reports indicate that the Trump administration has urged the Department of Homeland Security to identify between 100 and 200 potential denaturalization cases each month for referral to the DOJ.
