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Published : 24 Apr 2026, 09:02 AM
The Donald Trump administration has moved to pursue mass denaturalisation, with the US Justice Department identifying 384 naturalised citizens for potential citizenship revocation, The Guardian reports.
The London-based paper, citing The New York Times, reports the cases will begin in the coming weeks, marking what officials describe as the “first wave” of a broader drive targeting foreign-born Americans.
Under US law, courts can revoke citizenship if it was obtained illegally, including cases involving false information, sham marriages or certain criminal offences.
A memo issued last year directed the justice department’s civil division to widen its net, adding new categories of individuals for potential denaturalisation.
Legal analysts say that move has opened the door for a more aggressive deportation playbook.
As per the British daily, such cases have historically been rare due to the heavy legal costs and manpower required.
Senior officials, however, have told staff that lawyers across 39 regional offices will now be assigned to file these cases.
It remains unclear how the 384 individuals were selected.
Between 2017 and late 2025, just over 120 people were stripped of citizenship, making the current figure a sharp jump in scale.
Francey Hakes, a senior official, described the list as only the beginning of the administration’s push.
While one official framed the effort as a White House-driven move, a spokesperson countered that it is rooted in federal law.
In such proceedings, individuals revert to their pre-citizenship status, with immigration treated as a civil matter -- meaning there is no guaranteed right to legal counsel.
The Guardian report warns that the initiative could stretch departmental capacity, pulling focus away from other investigations, including healthcare and financial fraud.
Legal experts say the government must prove a lack of “good moral character” before a judge.
The categories outlined in last year’s memo include alleged links to terrorism, gang activity or cartel connections -- criteria some critics argue are overly broad.
Recent cases have included individuals accused of sex offences, identity fraud and tax crimes.
Denaturalisation has a long history in the US, once used against activists and labour leaders in the 20th century.
The practice narrowed after a Supreme Court ruling in the late 1960s limited it to fraud or deliberate misrepresentation, later focusing largely on war criminals who concealed their past.
Efforts expanded again under the Barack Obama administration before accelerating during Trump’s first term, when authorities reviewed hundreds of thousands of citizenship files.
