U.S. eyes over 250 citizenship revocation cases under Trump – report
LOS ANGELES – The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to seek the denaturalization of at least 250 U.S. citizens by October, marking a significant increase from prior years.
According to a report first published by CNN, this initiative would prepare these individuals for possible deportation and could significantly increase the number of citizenship revocations.
In the past two months, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated 29 denaturalization cases against foreign-born Americans – including a Filipino American – alleging that they fraudulently acquired US citizenship.
READ: Trump vows to end birthright citizenship: What is it, can he do it?
“People who got a parking ticket — that’s not going to be somebody that we’re going to focus our resources on and may not even qualify for denaturalization under the statute,” a senior DOJ official told CNN. “It’s really about finding people who have committed serious fraud against the United States and identifying those individuals and proceeding as quickly as we can.”
To support this initiative, the DOJ has reassigned attorneys from other duties, while US Citizenship and Immigration Services has transferred agency lawyers to assist with the effort, according to the CNN report.
READ: Trump going berserk, targets birthright, naturalized citizens
Jheromell Obejera Arcilla
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice announced plans to strip citizenship from 17 people – including Jheromell Obejera Arcilla from the Philippines, who pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in 2021.
The DOJ and the US Attorney for the District of Maryland filed a civil denaturalization complaint against Arcilla in the US District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, on June 5.
Arcilla is accused of lying about his involvement in a crime during his naturalization application. As part of efforts to denaturalize him, the US government has filed three claims against Arcilla.
These include allegations that he did not demonstrate the good moral character required for citizenship and that he knowingly misled immigration authorities.
Broader push for denaturalization
The DOJ said the plans align with a broader push under the Trump administration to increase denaturalizations targeting those accused or convicted of crimes, and those who misrepresented themselves in citizenship applications.
“When criminal aliens exploit the naturalization process by breaking the law, there are consequences,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a June 8 statement.
Blanche noted that individuals with histories of serious offenses, such as drug dealers and sexual predators, often submitted false information during their applications.
He said gaining US citizenship is a privilege and reiterated the DOJ’s commitment to a zero-tolerance policy regarding abuses of the naturalization process.
Denaturalizations do not affect individuals born in the United States, who acquired citizenship by birthright. Separately, Trump has sought to end automatic birthright citizenship through an executive order, and the Supreme Court is expected to decide on the legality of this policy change soon.
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