Story perspectives

DOJ launches biggest denaturalization push, targeting 200 cases monthly

4/25/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Justice Department has launched the largest denaturalization campaign in U.S. history, aiming to pursue up to 200 cases each month.
Federal prosecutors nationwide are reviewing roughly 300 foreign-born citizens for possible citizenship revocation.
A Justice Department spokesperson said the agency is focused on criminal aliens who defraud the naturalization process.
The effort is part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown that includes DHS deployments and new detention warehouses.

History

Historical Context

Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act in 1996, signed by President Bill Clinton and effective April 1 1997, which expanded aggravated-felony deportations and authorized denaturalization. The law lifted average yearly removals to over 180,000. Today the Justice Department under Attorney General Merrick Garland is reviving that framework, reviewing 300 cases and targeting up to 200 denaturalizations each month.

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Story summary

The Justice Department has launched the largest denaturalization campaign in U.S. history, aiming to pursue up to 200 cases each month.
Federal prosecutors nationwide are reviewing roughly 300 foreign-born citizens for possible citizenship revocation.
A Justice Department spokesperson said the agency is focused on criminal aliens who defraud the naturalization process.
The effort is part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown that includes DHS deployments and new detention warehouses.

1 / 2