The Justice Department is pushing to revoke the citizenship of 384 foreign-born Americans, according to a report published by The New York Times. The effort, part of President Donald Trump's anti-immigration crackdown, involves prosecutors across the country ramping up denaturalization cases. This push was announced during a Justice Department meeting last week.
Key Takeaways
The Justice Department is pushing to revoke the citizenship of 384 foreign-born Americans as part of President Trump's anti-immigration crackdown, according to a New York Times report.
- DOJ identifies 384 individuals for denaturalization cases
- Effort announced during a Justice Department meeting last week
- White House spokesperson denies it is a White House initiative
- Denaturalization cases have historically been rare but are increasing under Trump administration
While it is not unusual for the DOJ to pursue denaturalization of individuals believed to have obtained citizenship through fraud, the current effort targets 384 specific individuals. The White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson suggested that this push is simply about enforcing federal law, stating on X that 'citizenship fraud is a serious crime.' However, it remains unclear why these particular individuals are being targeted.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment but DOJ spokesperson Matthew Tragesser told the Times that the department was pursuing the highest volume of denaturalization referrals in history from the Department of Homeland Security. The push comes as part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration to increase denaturalization cases, with a June memo listing 10 priorities for such cases.
Denaturalization cases have historically been rare, averaging about 11 per year from 1990 to 2017. However, under the Trump administration, these cases have become more frequent due to an increase in referrals from law enforcement agencies. The initiative may divert resources from other department offices, including those pursuing healthcare or other types of fraud cases.
Experts warn that the administration's memo could be overly broad, considering the Trump administration's track record of falsely accusing immigrants and targeting political activists based on flimsy evidence. In recent months, denaturalization cases have been filed against some immigrants, including a marine accused of a sex crime and individuals accused of falsely claiming nationalities or committing tax fraud.
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