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2.0

Reported: USCIS ordered to escalate denaturalization case referrals

  1. Original Date Announced

    December 17, 2025

    The New York Times reports that the Trump administration issued guidance to USCIS field offices requesting that they "supply Office of Immigration Litigation with 100-200 denaturalization cases per month" in the 2026 fiscal year. The increase in denaturalization cases would represent a massive escalation. By comparison, just over 120 cases have been filed between 2017 and 2025; this year, the DOJ has brought 13 denaturalization cases and won 8. A USCIS spokesperson stated that USCIS will prioritize individuals who "unlawfully obtained U.S. citizenship," and that USCIS will “pursue denaturalization proceedings for those individuals lying or misrepresenting themselves during the naturalization process.”

    Trump 2.0 [ID #2126]

    2025.12.17 Reported: Trump Administration Aims to Strip More Foreign-Born Americans of Citizenship - New York Times
  2. Effective Date

    December 17, 2025
  3. Subsequent Trump and Court Action

    June 26, 2026

    2026.06.26 Complaint - Democracy Forward v. USCIS

    Democracy Forward Foundation sued USCIS, DHS, and DOJ under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), alleging that the agencies failed to timely respond to multiple requests seeking records related to the Trump administration's denaturalization efforts. The requests seek records concerning denaturalization initiatives, referrals, litigation, agency coordination, communications among senior officials, and related policy discussions. The complaint asks the court to order the agencies to search for and produce responsive records and to enjoin the continued withholding of non-exempt records. Democracy Forward v. USCIS, No. 1:26-cv-02263 (D.D.C.).

    **Link to case here. Our litigation entries generally report only the initial complaint and any major substantive filings or decisions. For additional information, CourtListener provides access to PACER and all available pleadings. Other sites that track litigation in more detail or organize cases by topic include Civil Rights Clearinghouse, Justice Action Center, National Immigration Litigation Alliance, and Just Security**

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Current Status

None

Original Trump Policy Status

Status: Reported
Trump Administration Action: Agency Directive
Subject Matter: Naturalization
Agencies Affected: USCIS DOJ

Commentary

  • 2026.02.12 NBC - Trump Administration Working to Expand Effort to Strip Citizenship from Foreign-Born Americans

    NBC News reports that over the past several months, USCIS has been sending experts to its offices around the country or reassigning staff members to focus on denaturalization. Possible offenses justifying denaturalization provided by the DOJ to attorneys include national security threats, war crimes or torture, and Medicaid or Medicare fraud or other forms of fraud against the government, as well as “any other cases ... that the division determines to be sufficiently important to pursue.” So far in Trump’s second term, sixteen cases have been filed and the Administration has won seven of those.

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Documents

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