The Trump administration is expected to accelerate efforts to target immigrants it says became naturalized citizens illegally.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field offices received guidance on Tuesday requesting that they target 100 to 200 denaturalization cases per month in fiscal 2026, according to the New York Times. That number is up from around 120 such cases in total that have been investigated over the past eight years, according to the Department of Justice.
USCIS is targeting individuals who have fraudulently become naturalized citizens.
The agency told the Washington Examiner that “it’s no secret” its “war on fraud includes prioritizing those who’ve unlawfully obtained U.S. citizenship—especially under the previous administration.”
“We will pursue denaturalization proceedings for those individuals lying or misrepresenting themselves during the naturalization process. We look forward to continuing to work with the Department of Justice to restore integrity to America’s immigration system,” DOJ spokesman Matthew Tragesser said.
Critics have raised concerns that the action will “create fear” for millions of naturalized Americans who have lived in the country for years.
“Imposing arbitrary numerical targets on denaturalization cases risks politicizing citizenship revocation,” former USCIS official Sarah Pierce said. “And requiring monthly quotas that are 10 times higher than the total annual number of denaturalizations in recent years turns a serious and rare tool into a blunt instrument and fuels unnecessary fear and uncertainty for the millions of naturalized Americans.”
In 2024, there were around 26 million naturalized U.S. citizens, representing roughly 51% of the total foreign-born population, according to government data.
Naturalized citizens are foreign-born people who undergo the process of becoming citizens by fulfilling a series of conditions, including holding a green card status and living lawfully in the country for at least five years, and passing an English literacy test. They are ineligible to become president or vice president and may lose their status or be deported for criminal behavior, but are otherwise considered full American citizens.
The development to expand scrutiny of naturalized citizens marks President Donald Trump’s latest effort to reduce the number of non-native-born people in the country.
Trump initially promised to deport millions of illegal immigrants, particularly violent criminal “aliens,” as part of his signature MAGA agenda.
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In recent months, the administration has expanded efforts to reduce levels of legal immigration as well. The president has sought to ban or heavily restrict immigration from over 30 countries, “permanently pause” all immigration from “third-world countries,” and pursue a policy of “reverse migration.”
In addition, the White House is intensifying restrictions on tourists visiting the United States. The government now holds the power to screen applicants’ past five years of social media use before deciding whether to admit or deny admission to a visitor, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
