Trump's War on Immigration: A New Era of Denaturalization and Exclusion
“We will always allow people to come in legally,” Trump declared, but his actions tell a different story. As his second term unfolds, the administration’s anti-immigrant agenda is not just about law and order; it’s a full-scale assault on the very fabric of American citizenship.
At the State of the Union, Trump boasted, “In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States.” But behind that facade lies a chilling reality: the administration is systematically dismantling legal avenues for immigrants seeking to live and work in the U.S. Permanently halting applications for residency and citizenship is just the tip of the iceberg.
“This is unprecedented,” said Zachary New, an immigration attorney from Colorado. “Previous administrations didn’t wage this kind of legal war on immigration.” The current administration is not just pausing applications; it’s actively working to denaturalize citizens who have already navigated the grueling process to earn their status.
In December, U.S. Customs and Immigration Services issued a memo that broadly halted asylum requests and placed a freeze on immigration processes for individuals from over a dozen countries. By January, that list ballooned to 39 nations, many of which are predominantly Black and brown, including Somalia and Haiti—countries Trump has infamously labeled as “garbage” and “shithole.”
“People from those countries have no chance right now of getting citizenship,” Julia Gelatt from the Migration Policy Institute stated. “It’s framed as a pause, but there’s no end in sight.” The numbers speak volumes: naturalizations plummeted from over 88,000 in April 2025 to just 33,000 by January 2026. With 12 million pending applications, the backlog is growing at an alarming rate.
“They’re moving at a snail’s pace,” Gelatt added. “Staffing cuts and a focus on re-adjudicating applications from those 39 countries have left them overwhelmed.” The Department of Homeland Security claims these pauses are necessary for national security, alleging that the Biden administration failed to vet immigrants properly. “We’re prioritizing safety,” a spokesperson insisted.
But what about those who have already completed the arduous journey to citizenship? New shared stories of clients who were set to take their oaths only to find their paths blocked. “They can’t access the rights and benefits that come with citizenship,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice is ramping up efforts to denaturalize at least 384 U.S. citizens for vague reasons. Reports suggest they aim to strip between 100 and 200 individuals of their citizenship each month in 2026—a staggering increase compared to historical averages.
“We’re focused on rooting out criminal aliens defrauding the naturalization process,” said Matthew Tragesser from the DOJ. Yet, success in these cases is rare; between 1979 and 2011, only 107 people lost their citizenship for collaborating with Nazis. Since 2017, the Trump administration has filed 13 denaturalization cases, successfully stripping eight individuals of their status.
The bar for denaturalization is set high. The government must prove that someone deliberately misled them about significant issues like identity or serious crimes. “These cases are tough to win,” Gelatt explained. The path to becoming a naturalized citizen is already grueling—requiring years of legal residency, sponsorship, and passing rigorous tests.
Naturalized citizens enjoy rights akin to those born in the U.S., including voting and accessing federal benefits. But revoking citizenship strips individuals of their ability to fully participate in American life. “Losing citizenship means losing your voice in our political system,” Gelatt warned.
Brendan Shanahan from Yale University highlighted the historical context of citizenship stripping as a political tool targeting marginalized groups. “Denaturalization has often been used against vulnerable populations,” he noted.
The Trump administration’s push against birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants further complicates matters. In a Supreme Court case, they argued these children owe no allegiance to the U.S., thus denying them citizenship rights.
This isn’t just a continuation of past policies; it’s an unprecedented assault on citizenship itself. “I can’t recall another time when denaturalization was so explicitly targeted as a policy goal,” Shanahan stated.
The consequences of denaturalization are dire: stripped individuals lose their passports and face uncertainty about their immigration status. “They could end up without any legal status at all,” Gelatt warned. For many caught in this bureaucratic limbo, self-deportation becomes a grim reality.
“People are forced to decide whether to stay or leave,” New explained. If temporary documentation expires, options dwindle rapidly. Even if processing resumes, the damage inflicted during these pauses cannot be undone overnight.
“This administration has shown skepticism towards any immigration value,” Gelatt concluded. “The message is clear: America is not eager to welcome immigrants into its fold.”
