Trump administration targets 384 for denaturalization

The Trump administration is planning an aggressive push to strip hundreds of foreign-born individuals of U.S. citizenship, with officials aiming to denaturalize between 100 and 200 people per month in 2026, according to USCIS officials. The Department of Justice has identified 384 people it wants to target, marking a dramatic escalation from previous administrations. The effort represents a significant shift in immigration enforcement, focusing on revoking citizenship from those who allegedly obtained it through fraud or other misconduct.

Under the Biden administration, the government filed just 24 denaturalization cases over four years, a fraction of the current target, according to Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia. Between 1990 and 2017, the government pursued an average of 11 denaturalization cases per year, Frost said. She described the new approach as sending a message that naturalized citizens do not have the same rights and stability as native-born citizens, as reported by The Independent. The historical context underscores the scale of the current administration's ambitions.

More than 7.9 million people were naturalized over the last decade, according to the Department of Homeland Security, providing a vast pool of potential targets. The DOJ issued an internal memo last summer advising the Civil Division to prioritize denaturalization, signaling a strategic shift. The memo, obtained by major media outlets, stated that the division "shall prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence." This directive has been interpreted as a green light for a broad crackdown.

One case highlighted by the Department of Justice involves Philippe Bien-Aime, who allegedly used a photo-switched passport and two identities to obtain U.S. citizenship. Bien-Aime, a former mayor of a small Florida town, was charged with fraud. Jason Quinones, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said in a statement that the fact that he later served as an elected mayor makes the case particularly egregious. The case illustrates the types of fraud the administration is targeting.

Another case involves Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized U.S. citizen who murdered three people and wounded a dozen others in a shooting at a bar in Austin, Texas, according to reports. Diagne had expressed admiration for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to reports. The case has been cited by officials as an example of why denaturalization is necessary for public safety. Matthew Tragesser, a DOJ spokesman, said the department is "pursuing the highest volume of denaturalization referrals in history" and is "laser focused on rooting out criminal aliens defrauding the naturalization process."

Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement that "anyone who has broken the law and obtained citizenship through fraud and deceit will be held accountable." The administration has not disclosed how many of the 384 identified individuals have already been denaturalized or are in the process. The specific criteria used to prioritize cases remain unclear, as does the timeline for the 2026 monthly targets. It is also unknown how many of the targeted individuals are alleged to have committed fraud versus being convicted of crimes. The administration's approach raises questions about resources allocated compared to previous administrations, though officials have not provided detailed comparisons.