US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to revoke the citizenship of naturalised immigrants who are convicted of fraud, singling out people from Somalia during an aggressive speech in Detroit. Speaking at an event meant to highlight his administration’s economic record, Trump said he wants to “reverse citizenship of any naturalised immigrant from Somalia or anywhere else who is convicted of defrauding our citizens.”
Trump threatens to strip citizenship during Detroit speech
Trump’s remarks came as he spent a large part of his speech attacking immigrant communities, especially Somalis living across the United States, with a particular focus on Minnesota and Maine.
During his speech, Trump repeatedly targeted the Somali community and made personal attacks against Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who came to the US as a refugee from Somalia when she was 12 years old and became a US citizen at 17.
“She lives in Somalia. They don’t have a government, they don’t have a military, they don’t have police, they don’t have anything,” Trump said. “All they have is murder and robbing ships. She comes here and she tells us about our constitution … I guess she’s she’s a total scam artist.”
Earlier, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that it would be ending Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Somali immigrants. TPS allows people from countries facing conflict or disaster to live and work legally in the US. The decision means thousands of Somali immigrants could now face uncertainty about their future.
Denaturalisation is allowed only in narrow cases, mainly when someone is found guilty of fraud during the citizenship process itself, such as hiding ties to terrorist groups or lying about serious crimes. Somali-born US citizens convicted of financial or welfare fraud are subject to the same legal process as any other American, including fines or prison time, but their citizenship would not automatically be revoked.
When can a US citizen lose their citizenship?
Naturalization is the process by which a person becomes a US citizen. But in some cases, citizenship can be revoked. Here’s a breakdown of the main reasons a person could lose their naturalized status.
According to USCIS, A person can lose their citizenship if it turns out they were never eligible to become a US citizen in the first place. This could happen if they didn’t meet any of the basic requirements at the time of naturalization, such as:
- Being attached to the US Constitution
- Living in the US for the required time
- Being physically present in the country
- Having lawful permanent resident status
- Showing good moral character
Citizenship can also be taken away if a person deliberately hides important information or lies during the naturalization process. This includes both what is written on the application and what is said during interviews.
To revoke citizenship on this basis, four things usually need to be true:
- The person hid or misrepresented some fact
- The act was done on purpose
- The fact that was hidden or misrepresented was important (material)
- Citizenship was granted because of that lie or concealment
A person may also lose citizenship if they join certain groups after naturalization, especially within five years. These include:
- Communist parties
- Other totalitarian parties
- Terrorist organizations
Citizenship gained through military service can also be revoked under specific conditions
- The person became a US citizen through honourable military service
- They later leave the military under “other than honourable” conditions
- This discharge happens before completing five years of honorable service