Trump Administration Targets 250 Denaturalization Cases by October, Far Above Biden's 24 in 4 Years
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jun 18
Trump Administration Targets 250 Denaturalization Cases by October, Far Above Biden's 24 in 4 Years
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jun 18
Summary
At least 250 denaturalization cases are planned by October, a sharp escalation from the 29 cases the Justice Department has filed in less than two months this year.
That pace far exceeds recent history: 166 denaturalization complaints were filed from 2008 through June 12, 2026, and the Biden administration filed 24 over four years.
A 12-lawyer denaturalization unit is handling a backlog while DOJ pulls civil fraud lawyers, political appointees and U.S. attorney offices into the effort, even as those offices face heavy strain.
The administration says it is targeting people who fraudulently obtained citizenship, including cases involving undisclosed felonies, sexual abuse of a minor or support for terrorism before or during naturalization.
Denaturalization can only be ordered in federal court and affects naturalized citizens, not birthright citizens; if successful, cases can strip citizenship, restore prior immigration status and sometimes lead to deportation proceedings.
As thousands of criminal cases are dropped, what is the hidden cost of the government's intense new focus on denaturalization?
How will this historic push to revoke citizenship change what it means to be a naturalized American?
Record-Breaking Denaturalization: How 2026 Policies Are Transforming U.S. Citizenship Security
Overview
Historically, denaturalization cases in the U.S. have been rare, but as of 2026, the Trump administration has signaled a major and unprecedented shift. The administration has explicitly vowed to use every tool available to identify and strip citizenship from immigrants it believes should be denaturalized, marking a dramatic expansion of its immigration crackdown. This new focus moves beyond targeting those in the country unlawfully and now squarely targets the legal immigration system itself. As a result, there is a clear intent and intensified effort to escalate denaturalization actions significantly compared to historical norms.