Eric Patrick
The United States Department of Justice has initiated a renewed effort to revoke the citizenship of certain naturalised Americans, particularly those accused of obtaining it through fraud or who pose a threat to national security, according to a newly surfaced internal memo.
The memo, dated June 11, instructs federal attorneys to prioritise civil denaturalisation proceedings against individuals who either “illegally procured” citizenship or obtained it by “concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.”
Unlike criminal cases, civil denaturalisation does not entitle defendants to government-provided legal counsel, and the burden of proof required is significantly lower.
According to multiple reports on Monday, the memo outlines ten priority categories of concern.
These include individuals allegedly involved in war crimes, extrajudicial killings, human rights abuses, gang activity, and other serious criminal convictions.
Although the document does not suggest that all of the estimated 25 million naturalised U.S. citizens are under threat, its broad scope has raised concerns among immigrant advocacy groups and legal experts.
These 25 million individuals, according to 2023 data, were all born outside the U.S. and later naturalised.
“This creates a kind of second-class citizenship,” said Sameera Hafiz, policy director at the Immigration Legal Resource Center, in an interview with NPR.
“It strips away key protections and fast-tracks people through a process that lacks fairness,” he added.
The denaturalisation memo comes amid growing scrutiny of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, which has undergone a dramatic shift in focus under the current administration.
The division has reportedly pivoted away from its traditional mission of tackling racial discrimination to enforcing executive directives targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes, transgender healthcare, and immigration enforcement.
READ ALSO: Diaspora Nigerians Challenge Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Ban, Label It Unconstitutional
Recent actions by the division include an investigation into the University of Virginia’s DEI practices—an inquiry that led to the resignation of university president Jim Ryan and lawsuits against 15 district attorneys in Maryland for obstructing the deportation of migrants challenging their removal orders.
Reports also suggest a mass exodus within the division itself.
NPR disclosed that nearly 70% of the division’s attorneys, around 250 lawyers, have left since January 2025, citing disillusionment with the shift in priorities.
The memo’s denaturalisation push follows a recent case in which a judge revoked the citizenship of Elliott Duke, a UK-born U.S. military veteran convicted of distributing child sexual abuse material.
Duke allegedly failed to disclose his criminal record during the naturalisation process.
Civil rights advocates warn that using civil litigation to revoke citizenship not only accelerates the process but also sidelines constitutional protections.
“This is not just about punishing wrongdoing, “It’s about reshaping what citizenship means—and who gets to keep it.”