The administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump has directed immigration authorities to identify between 100 and 200 potential denaturalisation cases each month, according to a report by NBC News, cited by The Economic Times on Friday.
The report stated that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, under the Department of Homeland Security, has reassigned personnel and deployed experts to field offices across the country to review previously approved naturalisation cases.
The move is aimed at providing the United States Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Litigation with a steady stream of cases for possible denaturalisation proceedings.
USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said the agency would act where there is evidence of fraud or misrepresentation during the naturalisation process.
“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards fraud in the naturalisation process and will pursue denaturalisation proceedings for any individual who lied or misrepresented themselves,” NBC quoted him as saying.
He added that the agency would continue to work with the Justice Department to ensure that only individuals who meet citizenship standards retain the privilege of U.S. citizenship.
The Justice Department has reportedly instructed its attorneys to prioritise denaturalisation cases, including those involving alleged national security threats, war crimes, and Medicaid or Medicare fraud.
READ ALSO: Trump Moves to End Birthright Citizenship in Landmark Executive Order
It also cited a broader provision permitting action in “any other cases … that the division determines to be sufficiently important to pursue.”
Trump has repeatedly placed citizenship policy at the centre of his immigration agenda. He is also seeking authority to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to foreign nationals, a matter currently before the Supreme Court.
In a Thanksgiving message last year, Trump said he would remove anyone who was not a “net asset” to the United States and would “denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquility.”