US DOJ Targets 384 Foreign-born Citizens For Denaturalization

The United States Department of Justice said it has identified 384 foreign-born Americans whose citizenship it is seeking to revoke, as part of a broader effort to accelerate denaturalization cases across the country.

According to a Thursday report by The New York Times, senior officials at the department disclosed during a recent internal meeting that civil litigators in 39 regional offices would soon be tasked with filing cases against the affected individuals.

The disclosure was confirmed by an official familiar with the development who was not authorised to speak publicly, as well as two other sources aware of the plan.

Authorities have not specified what prompted the targeting of the 384 individuals.

Under US federal law, citizenship can be revoked if it was obtained fraudulently, such as through sham marriages or by concealing disqualifying information. Individuals who commit certain crimes may also face denaturalization. However, the process requires the government to present evidence in court, making it both complex and time-intensive.

Historically, such cases have been handled by specialists within the Justice Department’s immigration litigation unit. The decision to involve prosecutors across multiple U.S. attorney’s offices signals a potential increase in the number of cases, which have remained relatively rare in recent decades.

The move follows directives issued months earlier under the administration of former President Donald Trump, which instructed the Department of Homeland Security to refer more than 200 denaturalization cases per month to the Justice Department.

Justice Department spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said the agency is now “pursuing the highest volume of denaturalization referrals in history” from Homeland Security.

“The Department of Justice is laser focused on rooting out criminal aliens defrauding the naturalization process,” he said.