A new memo by the Justice Department under the Trump administration tries to strip US citizenship from naturalised Americans who are convicted of certain crimes.
The document, quietly published on 11 June, clearly instructs government attorneys to give civil denaturalisation cases involving alleged fraud, serious crime, or national security a priority.
Notably, it is estimated that 25 million naturalised citizens, individuals who were born abroad but became U.S. citizens through the naturalisation process, are currently living in the United States.
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Justice Memo flags civil denaturalisation for those ‘illegally procured’
The memo calls for legal action against any naturalised citizen found to have “illegally procured” their citizenship or obtained it through “concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.”
“Naturalised criminals, gang members, or, indeed, any individuals convicted of crimes who pose an ongoing threat to the US” are now a stated priority, the memo notes.
{{/usCountry}}“Naturalised criminals, gang members, or, indeed, any individuals convicted of crimes who pose an ongoing threat to the US” are now a stated priority, the memo notes.
{{/usCountry}}Civil denaturalisation, unlike criminal prosecution, doesn’t guarantee a right to an attorney, and the government faces a lower burden of proof in these cases.
“It is kind of, in a way, trying to create a second class of US citizens,” said Sameera Hafiz, policy director at the Immigration Legal Resource Center, in a statement to NPR.
One recent example of how the new directive is already being enforced
On 13 June, a judge revoked the U.S. citizenship of Elliott Duke, a UK-born military veteran who was convicted of distributing child sexual abuse material. Duke allegedly failed to disclose his crime during the naturalisation process.
The memo gives Justice Department lawyers broad discretion, including the authority to initiate proceedings in cases involving immigration fraud, financial crimes, or referrals linked to pending criminal cases.
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Meanwhile, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is now being used to advance Trump’s broader political goals, including dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and ending federal support for transgender health care access.
NPR reported that an estimated 70% of attorneys in the division, roughly 250 lawyers, have left between January and the end of May, citing shifts in mission and morale.