Keeping Their Word: DHS Has Begun Denaturalizing US Citizens

"Immigration Fraud Investigation" was the label on the letter. Recently, a friend and I met for breakfast. She shared a devastating story about a close friend who received a notice from DHS indicating an investigation into her naturalization.

We knew it was only a matter of time.

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We knew this was coming. Stephen Miller, Trump, and DHS, with the help of the DOJ, have said from day one of this current administration they will "denaturalize and deport millions."

By way of background, individuals born outside the U.S. can become American citizens through a variety of pathways, including marrying a U.S. citizen, and all paths include a background check, a great deal of paperwork, often several years of interviews, and passing an American civics test. Once awarded citizenship, naturalized citizens are given the same constitutional protections as people born in the U.S., including the right to vote.

But naturalized U.S. citizens can lose their citizenship, under certain circumstances, if prosecutors can prove in court that they lied or omitted facts on their application.

Fast forward to the last several months of DHS and DOJ activity:

It was not enough to detain and put innocent people in concentration camps, deport people with no criminal record, and murder people in cold blood in the street; this administration also felt they should start denaturalizing people as another proof point in their fascism resume.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Trump administration has launched legal actions to revoke the citizenship of 40 naturalized Americans, an initiative initially reported by some news outlets as targeting 39 individuals. [1]

According to an official announcement released by Attorney General Todd Blancheon October 5, 2026, the federal government filed civil complaints in multiple U.S. district courts to strip these individuals of their citizenship. [1]

Key details of the administration's actions include:

• The Allegations: The government alleges that the defendants obtained their citizenship unlawfully under the Immigration and Nationality Act by concealing serious prior crimes or using false identities during their naturalization proceedings. [1, 2]
• The Criminal Histories: The DOJ claims the underlying offenses committed by the individuals include voluntary manslaughter, money laundering, transportation of child pornography, identity fraud, and acting as an agent for a foreign government. [1, 2]
• A Broader Crackdown: This filing represents the largest single-period denaturalization effort in modern history. It is part of a wider immigration enforcement initiative coordinated by the DOJ and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has resulted in over 120 civil denaturalization complaints since January 2025. [1, 2, 3]

Under federal law, if the government successfully proves in federal court that an individual's citizenship was obtained through willful misrepresentation or fraud, their certificate of naturalization is canceled. Following denaturalization, individuals typically revert to their prior immigration status and can face subsequent deportation proceedings. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The move is part of a new crackdown by the Trump administration on naturalized U.S. citizens who were born outside of the U.S. Federal prosecutors across the country began a sweeping review of naturalized U.S. citizens in April, targeting at least 300 people for possible denaturalization.

This administration's goal, according to documents related to Project 2025, indicates they are interested in denaturalizing tens of thousands in an effort to extricate folks they believe are not truly American.

The announcement of the 39 cases, marks the largest effort in recent history to denaturalize U.S. citizens, far outpacing an average of 15 cases a year during previous administrations, according to a Justice Department official. And while 39 cases fall well short of the 300 the administration said it was targeting, the Justice Department official said the review of other naturalized citizen applications is ongoing and they are stepping it up significantly. NBC News reported that the administration's original goal was to have the Office of Immigration Litigation review as many as 200 possible fraudulent naturalization cases per month.

The Reality

While it is true that folks get denaturalized every year for real reasons, it appears the list of citizens this administration is targeting is comprised mostly of people of color, overwhelmingly, and many of the fraud claims are questionable at best. DHS has made it clear that in the coming months they are targeting hundreds of naturalized citizens for no reason, silly reasons, and on occasion, legal reasons.

So here we are. Trump, DHS, and DOJ are partnering in another cruel scheme to control, intimidate, and scare the nation into acquiescence.

Just another reason to vote in person the first day your state opens early voting or to complete your ballot and place it in a ballot box the minute you receive it.

Thank you for all you do and ask everyone you know if they have checked their registration and to vote early.

@marienewmanstudio on Substack

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