Trump's Justice Department Makes Revoking U.S. Citizenship a Top Priority
An internal Justice memo reveals plans to revive rarely used powers to revoke U.S. citizenship, raising alarm among civil rights advocates who warn of racial profiling and unchecked executive power.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice has directed its Civil Division to prioritize denaturalization—the revocation of U.S. citizenship from naturalized Americans—in a sweeping new enforcement agenda aligned with President Donald Trump’s policy directives.
The memo, issued June 11 by Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate and obtained by the Associated Press, orders DOJ attorneys to “maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence.” It lists a broad array of targets, including individuals accused of terrorism, gang activity, financial fraud, or simply failing to disclose past offenses during the naturalization process.
The directive marks a dramatic escalation in the federal government’s use of civil denaturalization, a rarely invoked legal mechanism that does not require criminal charges or a jury trial. Critics say it opens the door to political targeting and racial profiling under the guise of immigration enforcemen…