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 enforcement.
The authority stems from Section 1451 of the U.S. Code, which allows the government to revoke citizenship obtained through fraud or misrepresentation. While legal under current law, denaturalization has traditionally been used sparingly, often in cases involving Nazi war criminals or serious human rights violators.
The DOJ memo broadens the scope considerably. Among the ten priority categories are people convicted of “various forms of financial fraud,” “sex offenses,” or individuals whose cases are simply “referred by a United States Attorney’s Office.” The final category leaves room for denaturalization in “any other case” the Civil Division deems “sufficiently important to pursue.”
Civil denaturalization proceedings differ from criminal cases in that defendants are not guaranteed a jury trial, and the burden of proof is lower. Immigration lawyers warn that the expansion of this tool could erode trust in the naturalization process and place millions of Americans with immigrant backgrounds under a cloud of uncertainty.
The memo is part of a larger directive instructing the Civil Division to enforce five policy areas championed by the Trump administration and Attorney General Pam Bondi. These include targeting sanctuary cities, investigating gender-affirming care as healthcare fraud, suing entities that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, and expanding federal enforcement against antisemitism.
In the immigration arena, the memo also directs federal attorneys to bring lawsuits against state and local governments with sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It authorizes legal action to invalidate such laws under claims that they violate federal supremacy.
The internal memo reflects a broader shift within the DOJ’s Civil Division from a defensive posture—typically representing the government in litigation—to an aggressive enforcement arm charged with advancing ideological objectives through civil law.
Shumate’s directive emphasizes that the Civil Division has “discretion to pursue cases outside of these categories as it determines appropriate,” suggesting that the list of denaturalization targets could expand beyond the ten listed priorities.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.