Story perspectives

Trump Administration Files 17 Denaturalizations Amid Fraud Surge

6/9/2026

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Summary

Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration filed denaturalization cases against 17 naturalized citizens in district courts.
The Justice Department says they hid health-care fraud, attempted child sexual battery, illegal H-1B petitions, and a former priest’s abuse.
Denaturalization filings rose under Trump, averaging 42 cases per year in his first term.
From 1990-2017 the average was 11 cases per year, per the National Immigration Forum.

History

Historical Context

In September 1996 Congress enacted the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, granting the Justice Department authority to revoke naturalization and expanding removal powers. Attorney General Janet Reno applied the new tools during the Clinton era, and the Trump administration later revived denaturalization suits, drawing criticism from the National Immigration Forum. IIRIRA also required hiring at least 1,000 additional border agents annually from 1997-2001.

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Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration filed denaturalization cases against 17 naturalized citizens in district courts.
The Justice Department says they hid health-care fraud, attempted child sexual battery, illegal H-1B petitions, and a former priest’s abuse.
Denaturalization filings rose under Trump, averaging 42 cases per year in his first term.
From 1990-2017 the average was 11 cases per year, per the National Immigration Forum.

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