During his recent interview with The New York Times, US President Donald Trump said his administration is considering taking away citizenship from some naturalised Americans. While discussing a range of topics — from toppling the Venezuelan government to plans for acquiring Greenland and pulling back from global organisations — Trump also spoke about his strong stance on immigration, appearing especially focused on Somalis.
Trump on stripping citizenship from some naturalised Americans
In a long interview with The New York Times, Trump said his team is reviewing the rules for taking away citizenship. “I would do it in a heartbeat if they were dishonest,” Trump told NYT reporters in an Oval Office interview. “I think that many of the people who came in from Somalia, they hate our country.” He added that the effort is not only focused on the Somali community, but did not name other groups that might be affected.
“If they deserve to be stripped, I would, yes,” Trump said.
While it’s not new for Trump to talk about deporting illegal immigrants, something he has been very vocal about since the start of his second term, taking away citizenship from naturalised Somalis would mark a major step in his immigration crackdown, which has already gone beyond people living in the US illegally. He has focused on the Somali community for years. Recently, his attention has turned to a fraud investigation involving parts of the Somali community in Minnesota, which he has used to make broad claims about the group.
Why is Trump focused on Somalis?
Since 2022, federal prosecutors have charged dozens of Somalis with felonies for allegedly stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from a government program meant to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Somali-Americans say this fraud has unfairly hurt the reputation of their community, especially as their political and economic influence has been growing.
Trump’s remarks came after The New York Times reported last month that the administration sent guidelines to US Citizenship and Immigration Services offices. The rules asked these offices to provide the Office of Immigration Litigation with 100–200 cases of denaturalisation per month in the 2026 fiscal year.
Federal law allows citizenship to be taken away only in cases of fraud during the citizenship process or in a few other narrow situations. Activists are worried that this could affect people who made honest mistakes on their paperwork.
Meanwhile, The White House announced on January 8, 2026, that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will create a new division specifically to fight fraud across the country. This division, called the Division for National Fraud Enforcement, is aimed at tackling fraud in federal programs, benefits, businesses, nonprofits, and even private citizens.
The administration highlighted its ongoing fight against fraud in Minnesota, where several programs have faced serious abuse. These include Feeding Our Future, Housing Stabilisation Services, and Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioural Intervention programs. According to The White House, so far, 98 people have been charged in Minnesota fraud cases, 85 of whom are of Somali descent. Of these, 64 have already been convicted. Over 1,750 subpoenas have been issued, 130 search warrants executed, and more than 1,000 witness interviews conducted.