The Trump administration is once again placing denaturalization—the legal process of revoking U.S. citizenship—at the center of its immigration enforcement agenda, prompting concern among immigrant communities and renewed scrutiny from legal experts.
In a recent advisory shared on Instagram, U.S. immigration attorney LaToya McBean Pompy, Esq., founder of McBean Immigration Law, warned that the administration has directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to refer between 100 and 200 denaturalization cases per month to the Department of Justice.
The focus, she said, is on individuals suspected of fraud or misrepresentation during the naturalization process.
“Stripping citizenship has become a priority,” Pompy stated, describing the policy shift as a significant escalation compared with past practice.
Ambitious Targets, Limited Capacity
Despite the administration’s stated goals, legal experts say the numbers do not align with historical or institutional realities. According to Pompy, the federal government has managed only about 120 denaturalization cases since 2017, underscoring the complexity and resource-intensive nature of such proceedings.
Denaturalization cases must be brought in federal court and require the government to meet a high legal standard, often involving extensive documentation, witness testimony, and proof that alleged fraud was both material and intentional. The process is handled by the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, which Pompy notes lacks sufficient staffing with the specialized expertise required to pursue cases at the scale now being suggested.
“There are roughly 26 million naturalized U.S. citizens,” she said. “The idea that the government could suddenly and efficiently strip citizenship from large numbers of people is not realistic.”
Legal Barriers and Due Process
Legal analysts emphasize that U.S. citizenship, once granted, carries strong constitutional protections. Courts have consistently held that denaturalization is an extraordinary remedy, reserved for rare cases involving serious misconduct, such as identity fraud or concealment of crimes that would have barred naturalization.
Pompy urged naturalized citizens not to panic, stressing that most individuals face no realistic risk of losing their citizenship. She encouraged the public to seek accurate legal information and understand how denaturalization law actually functions, rather than relying on political rhetoric.
“This is not something that happens easily or quietly,” she explained, adding that affected individuals are entitled to due process and legal defense.
A Policy With Political Resonance
The renewed focus on denaturalization revives a hallmark of Trump-era immigration policy, which critics argue uses national security and fraud prevention narratives to justify broader exclusionary measures.
Civil rights advocates have warned that aggressive denaturalization campaigns can create fear among immigrant communities and undermine confidence in the permanence of U.S. citizenship.
While the administration frames the policy as a safeguard against fraud, legal practitioners caution that implementation remains constrained by law, precedent, and institutional capacity.
For now, immigration attorneys say the directive signals political intent more than immediate legal consequence, though they continue to monitor how USCIS and the Department of Justice translate the guidance into action.
