On June 11, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a memorandum prioritizing denaturalization—or stripping naturalized citizens of their U.S. citizenship. Although denaturalization is authorized under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), it is typically only used for cases involving genocide or espionage, since it as a rare enforcement mechanism. Up until the first Trump Administration, only 305 denaturalization cases were pursued, while now that number has increased by 600 percent.
The cause for concern regarding the Trump Administration’s denaturalization memorandum is that it grants the DOJ broad discretionary power which would allow the DOJ to denaturalize any naturalized citizen for numerous alleged infractions. Similarly, the memorandum is vague as it leaves room for interpretation regarding the alleged infractions which can create an unclear standard and the possibility of violating due process. In addition, denaturalization is a civil proceeding which does not grant the right for a person to be provided legal counsel. Therefore, a citizen may very well be stripped of their citizenship without a genuine chance to defend themselves.
For more information on this, and other immigration matters, contact the attorneys at Gonzalez Olivieri LLC today.
Reference:
Amy Grenier & Kate Angustia, Policy Brief: Denaturalization and the Administration's Targeting of U.S. Citizens, American Immigration Lawyers Association (July 21, 2025), https://www.aila.org/library/policy-brief-denaturalization-and-the-administration-s-targeting-of-u-s-citizens.
