Trump Vows To Revoke Citizenship Of Naturalized Immigrants Convicted Of Fraud
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration will move to revoke the citizenship of naturalized immigrants who are convicted of defrauding American citizens, signaling an expansion of federal denaturalization efforts.
“We’re also going to revoke the citizenship of any naturalized immigrant from Somalia or anywhere else who is convicted of defrauding our citizens,” Trump said during remarks at the Detroit Economic Club.
The statement comes as the Department of Justice announced the creation of a new section dedicated to investigating, prosecuting, and pursuing denaturalization cases. The move follows the formation of an earlier denaturalization task force in 2018 during Trump’s first term.
According to the DOJ, the new section will prioritize individuals who “illegally procured” citizenship or concealed “a material fact” during the naturalization process. Officials said the office would focus on serious violations of law, including cases involving terrorism, war crimes, sex offenses, and significant financial fraud.
Denaturalization — the legal process of revoking citizenship — is permitted under U.S. law if citizenship was unlawfully obtained through fraud or material misrepresentation.
The Supreme Court has held that citizenship cannot be stripped unless it was illegally procured, establishing a high evidentiary standard requiring “clear, unequivocal, and convincing evidence.”
Historically, denaturalization has been rare.
For decades after a 1967 Supreme Court decision limited the practice to cases involving fraud or error in the naturalization process, the federal government typically filed only about a dozen denaturalization cases per year.
That pace began to shift in the late 2000s.
In 2008, the Obama administration launched “Operation Janus,” a program that used digitized fingerprint records to identify individuals who had been ordered deported under one identity but later naturalized under another.
The Trump administration expanded those efforts, reviewing more than 700,000 naturalization files and increasing the number of cases filed in federal court.
In 2017, the Justice Department filed 25 denaturalization cases, followed by another 20 during the first half of 2018 — a marked increase from prior decades.
In January 2018, DOJ officials said they expected to pursue roughly 1,600 denaturalization cases and planned to hire additional attorneys and immigration officers to support the initiative.
The newly announced section formalizes and potentially expands that approach. A recent DOJ memo instructs the Civil Division to “advance the administration’s policy objectives,” including “prioritizing denaturalization.”
The memo outlines 10 categories of priority cases, including individuals who pose “a potential danger to national security,” engaged in “various forms of financial fraud,” or whose cases are otherwise deemed “sufficiently important to pursue.”
Legal scholars note that the definition of fraud in the naturalization context has traditionally focused on whether an applicant willfully misrepresented or concealed facts that would have affected the outcome of the citizenship application.
Questions have arisen about how broadly newer interpretations might extend, particularly if post-naturalization criminal conduct unrelated to immigration history becomes a basis for review.
The administration has also emphasized financial fraud as a priority area. The DOJ memo specifically references Medicaid and Medicare fraud, as well as loan fraud. While serious financial crimes can result in criminal prosecution, legal experts debate whether such offenses — if not tied to misrepresentations made during the naturalization process — meet the constitutional standard required to revoke citizenship.
Trump has publicly reinforced his support for aggressive enforcement. In a recent Truth Social post, he pledged to “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility.”
The broader historical context adds weight to the debate. In the early 20th century, denaturalization was sometimes used against political dissidents under provisions requiring “good moral character” and attachment to constitutional principles.
That era ended after Supreme Court rulings in the 1940s and 1960s curtailed the practice, establishing strict constitutional protections for naturalized citizens.
The Justice Department’s new office is expected to begin reviewing cases immediately. Any denaturalization action must proceed through federal court, where judges will evaluate whether the government has met the constitutional standard.
Trump Warns Iran of ‘Total Obliteration’ if They Try To Harm Him HH
President Donald Trump warned Iran that continued assassination threats made by leaders in Tehran would be met with the country getting “blown up” and “total obliteration.”
“Well, they shouldn’t be doing it but I’ve left notification,” Trump said. “Anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole — the whole country’s going to get blown up.”
Advertisement
Biden-era Intelligence officials briefed Trump about the alleged threats against him during his presidential campaign in 2024. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland said the plot was retaliation for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani by the U.S. in 2020, during Trump’s first administration.
Despite being briefed by his administration, Trump on Tuesday said President Biden “should have said something” on the matter, adding that presidents should defend each other on such matters.
“But I have very firm instructions,” Trump continued. “Anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth.”
Advertisement
Trump also spoke about the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran in Geneva.
“What are you expecting from these Iran talks in Geneva?” a reporter asked Trump aboard Air Force One.
Advertisement
“So, I’ll be involved in those talks indirectly, and they’ll be very important. We’ll see what can happen. Typically, Iran’s a very tough negotiator; they’re good negotiators — or bad negotiators. I would say they’re bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B2s to knock out their nuclear potential. We had to send the B2s. I hope they’re going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal,” Trump said.
“Have you been told that a deal is next to impossible?” the reporter followed up.
Trump replied, “No. I think they want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal.”
WATCH:
Trump previously said that he instructed officials to destroy Iran if they killed him.
The president said this after signing an executive order right after taking office that gave him all the tools he needed to talk to Iran’s government and put as much pressure on Tehran as possible.
“They haven’t done that and that would be a terrible thing for them to do,” Trump said at the time. “Not because of me — if they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end. I’ve left instructions, if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left. And, they shouldn’t be able to do it.”
Trump warned last week that the United States could send additional warships toward Iran if ongoing diplomatic negotiations fail to produce a deal, signaling that military pressure could increase as talks over Tehran’s nuclear program stall.
In remarks to Axios, Trump said the administration is considering deploying a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region in addition to the USS Abraham Lincoln and 9 additional warships already positioned near Iran, though he expressed hope that a diplomatic agreement can still be reached.
“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” the president told Axios on Tuesday, a reference to the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites in June.
“Last time they didn’t believe I would do it. They overplayed their hand,” Trump added. “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going.”
The president emphasized that the United States is seeking to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions, halt the development of its ballistic missile program, and end support for militant proxy groups. Iranian officials have so far resisted expanding negotiations beyond nuclear-related issues.
He described the nuclear issue as a “matter of course” part of any negotiation, but also insisted that an agreement with Iran must also address Tehran’s ballistic missile stockpiles, per Axios.
Trump said the US “can make a great deal with Iran,” and Tehran “very much wants to make a deal.”
Trump’s comments came ahead of a planned visit to Washington, D.C. by Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to press for a tougher U.S. stance and broader terms for any Iran deal that would include constraints on Tehran’s missile capabilities and regional activities.
Before heading to DC, the Israeli leader previewed some of what he and Trump were going to discuss.
“I will present to the president our understanding of the principles of the negotiations (with Iran) – the essential principles that are important not only to Israel – but to everyone who wants peace and security in the Middle East,” Netanyahu told reporters, per the New York Post.
The administration has already bolstered its military presence in the Middle East, with multiple warships and aircraft deployed as a means of deterrence and leverage.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
