Justice Department targets hundreds in denaturalization push
The U.S. Department of Justice seal on a podium in Washington, D.C. Photographer: Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department has singled out 384 naturalized U.S. citizens for possible denaturalization and is accelerating the process by distributing these cases to prosecutors across numerous U.S. attorney offices nationwide, according to The New York Times.
According to the outlet, Senior Justice Department leaders in Washington told colleagues last week that attorneys in 39 regional offices would soon be tasked with bringing denaturalization cases against these individuals, according to an official familiar with the briefing who was not authorized to speak publicly.
RELATED: Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons submits resignation letter to DHS secretary
Two other people with knowledge of the plans also confirmed to the Times the broader push to increase denaturalizations, though it remains unclear why the department selected these 384 individuals.
Acting ICE Director submits resignation
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons submitted his resignation to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Thursday. Lyons will stay in the role until May 31.
What they're saying:
"The Department of Justice is laser-focused on rooting out criminal aliens defrauding the naturalization process," the department said in a statement to FOX Television Stations. "Under the leadership of President Trump and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the Department is pursuing the highest volume of denaturalization referrals in history, thanks to close partnerships with DHS and USCIS."
"We are moving at warp speed to ensure fraudsters are held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent. Our filed referrals in one year have exceeded the total during the entire four years of the Biden administration, with many more to come."
RELATED: Banks will have to collect citizenship data, Trump administration says
Dig deeper:
Federal law allows the government to seek to revoke citizenship from individuals who acquired it through fraud—such as sham marriages or by concealing disqualifying information about their past—and in some cases from those who later commit certain crimes.
To do so, authorities must present evidence before a federal judge in either civil or criminal proceedings, a process that is often complex and time-intensive.
RELATED: ICE officer charged with assault for February incident in MN
Big picture view:
Immigration has long been Trump’s signature issue and a top reason he won a second term in 2024. His first year back in the White House saw sweeping changes in enforcement and an infusion of billions of dollars to the agencies tasked with carrying out his agenda. That is reshaping how enforcement will look for the rest of Trump’s tenure, from the number of immigrants detained to how few are winning asylum cases.
In December 2024, the last full month before Trump was sworn in, the number of arrests was at a little over 46,000. By February 2025, it was less than 8,000 and has stayed around that level or lower since. It was 6,070 in January.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement promised a new era of enforcement, loosening restrictions placed on those who could be arrested and removed. The result was a spike in ICE arrests.
The Source: The information in this story comes from reporting by The New York Times, which cited officials familiar with internal Justice Department discussions about the denaturalization effort. Additional details were confirmed by multiple people with knowledge of the plans, as well as a public statement provided by the Justice Department to FOX Television Stations. This story was reported from Los Angeles.