Overview
- USCIS is temporarily transferring immigration lawyers into U.S. attorney offices to work directly on denaturalization litigation, a change first reported on May 22 that agency spokespeople say will speed cases.
- The Justice Department has filed 35 civil denaturalization complaints so far in this presidential term, including 12 filed this month, as it steps up efforts to revoke citizenship for cases it says involve fraud or national security risks.
- A June 2025 DOJ memo formally made denaturalization a priority and instructed USCIS to build a steady referral pipeline, with reporting that internal targets called for roughly 100–200 case recommendations per month.
- Denaturalization is a civil process that requires clear, convincing, and unequivocal evidence to prove a person obtained citizenship through fraud, and successful claims can lead to loss of citizenship, deportation, and possible criminal charges.
- Immigrant advocates and legal scholars warn the staffing shift and large referral goals could be politically motivated, strain federal prosecutors and USCIS resources, increase the risk of clerical errors in cases, and chill confidence among roughly 25 million naturalized U.S. citizens.