According to internal instructions obtained by The New York Times, the Trump administration is stepping up efforts to strip citizenship from some naturalized Americans, indicating a new, aggressive phase in President Trump’s immigration policies.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field offices have been instructed to “supply Office of Immigration Litigation with 100-200 denaturalization cases per month” during the 2026 fiscal year. In contrast, the Justice Department reports that just over 120 cases had been filed between 2017 and this year.
There are approximately 26 million naturalized Americans, with over 800,000 new citizens sworn in last year, primarily from Mexico, India, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, and Vietnam. Those stripped of citizenship largely become legal permanent residents.
Under federal law, denaturalization is permitted primarily in cases of fraud during the citizenship application process or other specific situations. However, the Trump administration has actively utilized various measures to target both legal and illegal immigrants.
Green Card Holders Face Risks
A Green Card, officially known as a Permanent Resident Card, allows you to live and work permanently in the United States but does not qualify as a US citizen.
Green card holders who have obtained US citizenship face the risk of losing it, as the US Department of Justice has emphasized denaturalization as a top priority in an earlier memorandum to enforcement authorities.
Trump’s Threat of Denaturalization
Trump’s threat of revocation of US citizenship for naturalized citizens is aimed specifically at individuals who have been convicted of crimes. However, there have been reports that under-reporting income on a tax return could also result in being declared a non-US citizen, under President Trump’s administration.
US 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.
Naturalization and Denaturalization
Naturalization is the process of granting US citizenship to lawful permanent residents (LPRs) or green card holders who meet Congress’s and INA’s requirements, allowing them to legally reside permanently within the U.S.
Denaturalization is the official revocation of a person’s U.S. citizenship, resulting from illegal acquisition or deliberate misrepresentation during application and examination, or if material facts are not disclosed.
Past cases demonstrate that denaturalization has been used to revoke US citizenship from war criminals and individuals perceived as threats to national security. A court order is necessary for denaturalization, ensuring that the impacted person is given due process.