Trump administration ramps up denaturalization campaign, targeting U.S. citizens accused of crimes, fraud, terrorism
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- The Trump administration announced a significant expansion of its denaturalization campaign targeting foreign-born U.S. citizens accused of fraudulently obtaining citizenship, unveiling cases against about a dozen individuals in federal courts nationwide.
- The Justice Department's efforts mark a sharp increase in denaturalization actions, a rare legal procedure previously averaging about 11 cases per year between 1990 and 2017.
- Those targeted include immigrants from various countries accused of serious crimes, terrorism ties, false identities, and immigration fraud, such as a Colombian priest convicted of sexual assault, and individuals linked to terrorist groups like al Qaeda and al Shabaab.
- The administration also seeks to denaturalize Manuel Rocha, a former American diplomat who admitted to spying for Cuba, highlighting the campaign's broad scope.
- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that only a small percentage of naturalized citizens should be concerned, stating the campaign aims to deter citizenship fraud and that lawful citizens have nothing to fear.
