Trump Administration Widens Deportation Push With 80,000 Voluntary Departures and 12 Denaturalization Cases
Updated
Updated · The San Diego Union-Tribune · May 17
Trump Administration Widens Deportation Push With 80,000 Voluntary Departures and 12 Denaturalization Cases
3 articles · Updated · The San Diego Union-Tribune · May 17
About 12 denaturalization cases have been filed in federal courts against naturalized U.S. citizens accused of crimes, fraud or terrorism ties, extending Trump’s immigration crackdown beyond noncitizens.
The broader push also hits legal-status pathways: nearly 300 DACA recipients were detained in 2025, about 90 were deported, and renewal delays are leaving some Dreamers without work authorization.
More than 80,000 immigrants accepted voluntary departure from January 2025 through March 2026—at least seven times the Biden-era pace—with over 70% requesting it while in detention.
Trump has framed the campaign as targeting the “worst of the worst,” but studies cited in the report say many detainees and deportees have not been serious or violent criminals.
The denaturalization drive faces a high legal bar set by past Supreme Court rulings, which warned in 1946 that stripping citizenship could become a tool of political persecution.
Why are 700% more asylum seekers now choosing to abandon their cases and leave the United States?
With denaturalization cases quadrupling, what actions could now jeopardize a person's U.S. citizenship?
Inside the 2025–2026 U.S. Immigration Crackdown: Denaturalization Surges, Voluntary Departures Spike, and Enforcement Tactics Escalate Under Trump
Overview
In May 2026, the Trump administration announced a major escalation in efforts to revoke U.S. citizenship from naturalized individuals, focusing on those accused of fraud, serious crimes, or national security threats. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized correcting violations in the immigration system, stating that people involved in fraud or supporting terrorism should not have been naturalized. Under federal law, the government can petition courts to revoke citizenship if it was obtained through fraudulent means, such as sham marriages or hiding crucial information. This renewed campaign marks a significant shift in immigration enforcement, raising concerns about due process and the security of naturalized citizens.