The Trump administration aims to strip citizenship from more foreign-born Americans.

Officials are prioritizing those who obtained citizenship unlawfully.

The Denaturalization Plan

The administration is ramping up efforts to denaturalize Americans.

Internal documents confirm this aggressive new phase.

Field offices must now produce 100 to 200 cases every month.

This target is for the 2026 fiscal year.

If successful, this marks a massive historical escalation.

For context, only 120 total cases were filed since 2017.

Legal Context and Politics

Law permits denaturalization only for fraud.

Yet, Trump is using every tool to target immigrants.

Activists warn that honest mistakes could now be punished.

This campaign sows fear among law-abiding citizens.

Trump has spent the year closing immigration loopholes.

The crackdown goes far beyond purging unlawful migrants.

It includes asylum blocks and travel bans.

Officials claim these actions make the country safer.

The Administration’s Stance

Targeting naturalized citizens is a major escalation.

U.S.C.I.S. confirms a “war on fraud.”

They will prosecute anyone who lied during naturalization.

The agency will work closely with the Justice Department.

Critics and Supporters

Former officials are alarmed by the new case quotas.

Numerical targets risk politicizing citizenship revocation.

Demanding a tenfold increase turns a rare tool into a blunt instrument.

Conversely, supporters say stricter enforcement is necessary.

They argue the U.S. does not denaturalize enough people.

They insist the effort won’t target innocent people.

The Numbers

There are 26 million naturalized Americans today.

Over 800,000 new citizens were sworn in last year.

Most come from Mexico, India, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

Stripped citizens usually revert to legal permanent resident status.

New Priorities

New guidance outlines priorities for fiscal year 2026.

“Pursue denaturalization” is listed as a top goal.

The Justice Department is also prioritizing this mission.

Targets extend beyond application fraud.

Gang members, cartel associates, and financial criminals are included.

The government promises to pursue all legally permitted cases.

The Judicial Process

U.S.C.I.S. is the key player in this process.

They refer cases to the Justice Department.

Only a federal court can strip someone of citizenship.

The process can be civil or criminal.

Civil cases require “unequivocal evidence” of deception.

History and Precedents

Denaturalization has been rare since the 1990s.

Cases peaked in 2018 with just 90 filings.

The Supreme Court calls citizenship too precious to remove on a whim.

Critics say the agency should focus on processing applications.

Trump increased denaturalizations during his first term.

One high-profile case involved a man using a fake identity.

Obstacles and Fears

The Justice Department won 8 of 13 cases filed this year.

Over 100 cases were filed during Trump’s first term.

The government must prove the lie directly impacted the citizenship claim.

Experts say the legal process remains difficult.

It is unclear if the government can actually win these cases.

Still, the guidance signals danger.

Arbitrary targets may sweep up innocent people.

This creates terror among naturalized citizens.