Justice Department denaturalization push targets 250 cases by October: See who are at risk

The Trump administration has escalated its efforts to revoke U.S. citizenship from naturalized Americans accused of fraud or serious crimes, with plans to file at least 250 denaturalisation cases by October 2026.

As per a senior Justice Department official, the authorities have already filed for 29 denaturalisations in less than two months this year.

The policy builds on a memorandum issued by Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate in June 2025, highlighting 10 areas of focus for revoking citizenship that include national security concerns, war crimes, fraud, and concealed felonies. The department is redirecting civil fraud lawyers and political appointees to the 12-person denaturalisation unit as the backlog becomes increasingly lengthy.

The individuals who are mostly on the hit list include people with concealed violent crimes, child sex abuse, drug trafficking, or visa fraud during their naturalization proceedings. Federal law enables the government to strip citizenship via civil or criminal proceedings if it was illegally procured or obtained through willful misrepresentation.

It is important to note that denaturalization does not apply to birthright citizens.

“This is a lawful tool that Congress has had on the books for decades. Criminal aliens are lying about their past crimes, including drug dealers, sexual predators, and fraudsters,” a senior DOJ official added.