The administration of Donald Trump has directed U.S. immigration authorities to begin identifying between 100 and 200 potential denaturalisation cases each month, marking a significant escalation in citizenship enforcement efforts. According to a report by NBC News, cited by The Economic Times on Friday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has reassigned personnel and dispatched specialists to field offices nationwide to review past naturalisation approvals.
The review process is aimed at providing the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Litigation with a steady stream of cases for potential prosecution.
USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said the agency would take action where there is credible evidence of fraud or misrepresentation during the naturalisation process.
“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards fraud in the naturalisation process and will pursue denaturalisation proceedings for any individual who lied or misrepresented themselves,” NBC quoted him as saying.
He added, “We will continue to relentlessly pursue those undermining the integrity of America’s immigration system and work alongside the Department of Justice to ensure that only those who meet citizenship standards retain the privilege of US citizenship.”
The Justice Department has reportedly instructed its attorneys to prioritise denaturalisation cases, particularly those involving individuals deemed national security risks, suspected war criminals, or persons implicated in Medicaid or Medicare fraud.
The department also cited a broader provision allowing action in “any other cases … that the division determines to be sufficiently important to pursue,” signaling wide discretionary authority.
Trump has repeatedly emphasised citizenship policy throughout his political career. He is currently seeking authority to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to foreign nationals, a matter now before the Supreme Court.
In a Thanksgiving message last year, Trump wrote that he would remove anyone who was not a “net asset” to the United States and would “denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquility.”
