Trump’s justice department issues directive to strip naturalized Americans of citizenship for criminal offenses
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DOJ Prioritizing Cases Revoking US Citizenship
Above: New U.S. citizens recite the Oath of Allegiance in Chicago on June 25, 2025. Image copyright: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
This denaturalization push protects America from criminals and terrorists who lied their way into citizenship. When people commit serious crimes before naturalization and hide them during the process, they've committed fraud. The government has every right to revoke citizenship from those who obtained it illegally.
Democratic narrative
Denaturalization is a quick way to meet mass deportation goals but creates a two-tiered citizenship system that strips due process rights from naturalized Americans. Using civil proceedings denies people basic legal protections and makes citizenship conditional for millions of law-abiding immigrants.