For the first time, President Trump talks about creating an immigration policy that works for everyone. President Trump was expressing his views on immigration and other significant issues in an Oval Office interview with New York Times reporters. When asked to go into detail about comprehensive immigration reform, Trump stated the Democrats must also be on the same page, which, to him, looks unlikely.
New York Times reporter, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, specifically asked if that would be including pathway to citizenship for those undocumented here, to which Trump replied in the affirmative.
Trump has been critical of the Biden-era immigration policies and has enforced several measures affecting both legal and undocumented migrants in America.
Trump has often stated his intentions, from threatening to deport naturalized citizens to denying automatic birthright citizenship to all those born in the United States. The Supreme Court is yet to announce a verdict on Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order.
Denaturalization of US Citizens
During the interview, Zolan Kanno-Youngs asked President Donald Trump to clarify which groups his administration believes could face denaturalization.
Rather than outlining specific legal standards, Trump responded by focusing on Somalia, describing the country as violent and corrupt and repeatedly gave the reference of Minnesota and Somali immigrants. He argued that Somalia’s instability and alleged criminal activity among some migrants were central to his concerns.
Trump maintained that naturalized citizenship should be revocable if he believes individuals obtained it dishonestly or acted against U.S. interests.
Even the process of naturalization has become tougher for legal immigrants, including green card holders. Recently, USCIS announced that it has resumed personal investigations of foreigners applying for naturalization in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The ‘Neighbourhood Investigation’ will include testimonial letters from neighbours, employers, co-workers, and business associates.
Green card holders who have become American citizens are also at risk of losing their US citizenship. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is pursuing citizenship stripping for the alleged cover-up of filing a false tax return, despite not being charged at the time.
Citizens, including those who were green card holders, can be denaturalized in a civil case, which pertains to concealment or intentional misrepresentation of a material fact that would have prevented them from becoming citizens.
DACA Recipients
Next, Trump was asked about the future of DACA recipients. ‘Dreamers’ are undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. A DACA recipient is a person who has been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a US immigration policy that shields unauthorized immigrants who came to the US as children.
He replied, “I’ll let you know in about 12 months from now.” When prompted more than once on their safety in America, he said, “Yes, they should feel safe, but I’d like to be able to do something.”
Senators Richard Durbin and Lisa Murkowski introduced the Dream Act of 2025, a bipartisan bill aimed at allowing Dreamers, to apply for protection from deportation and legal status, and subsequently get a green card, on meeting specific conditions. If implemented, children of H-1B holders, Dreamers and DACA recipients can look forward to getting a US green card.
Dream Act 2025 proposals could allow nearly 525,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, as well as another two million eligible Dreamers brought to America as children, to stay in the U.S. The bill could also allow 250,000 documented Dreamers to stay in the U.S. and obtain permanent legal status.