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Exclusive: Trump administration plans massive increase in denaturalization cases
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- The Trump administration plans to file at least 250 denaturalization cases by October, significantly increasing efforts to revoke citizenship from naturalized Americans accused of fraud or other serious offenses.
- Since the start of 2026, the Justice Department has already filed 29 denaturalization cases, surpassing previous annual averages, and is reallocating civil litigators from other divisions to meet this goal.
- The denaturalization push targets individuals who allegedly lied during the naturalization process, committed serious crimes, or posed national security threats, with cases proceeding as civil or criminal actions depending on circumstances.
- Denaturalization applies only to naturalized citizens, not birthright citizens; if successful, individuals revert to their prior immigration status and may face deportation.
- While the increased focus on denaturalization is unprecedented in scale, experts note that the cases filed so far align with historical practices, emphasizing serious fraud or criminal conduct.
