DOJ Moves to Strip Citizenship from Criminals in 'Largest Denaturalization Effort in Modern History'
The Department of Justice announced on Monday that it had filed denaturalization actions against 40 people accused of serious crimes or acting as agents for foreign governments.
The actions were filed in various U.S. district courts, with one individual being accused of committing aggravated sodomy against a special needs man, according to a Justice Department news release.
The DOJ’s Office of Public Affairs said the complaints, filed between Aug. 21 and Oct. 2, 2026, amount to “the largest volume of complaints submitted in a single period under the Trump administration.”
“Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a naturalized U.S. citizen’s citizenship may be revoked, and certificate of naturalization canceled, if the naturalization was illegally procured or procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation,” the release noted.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “Today’s announcement marks the largest denaturalization effort in modern history.”
“From an individual convicted of espionage to others convicted of sexual offenses against minors, these defendants concealed critical facts from the U.S. government and represent serious criminal offenders,” he continued.
Blanche added, “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice will continue to employ the denaturalization process to maintain our national security and protect the American people.”
Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division also commented on the news, saying, “Every single one of these individuals lied their way into U.S. citizenship.”
“This administration will continue to pursue the largest denaturalization effort in department history to restore trust and integrity in U.S. citizenship,” he declared. “Our message is clear: the United States will not tolerate deception in the naturalization process.”
The ages of the accused ranged from mid-30s to mid-70s, and they hail from Mexico, Colombia, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, Nepal, Peru, Haiti, Ghana, China, and Cambodia.
The crimes varied from sexual abuse and manslaughter to espionage and fraud.
This operation is in line with President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration agenda that has included deportations, visa reform, and a willingness to use denaturalization as a deterrent against future criminal activity.
This news comes less than one week after the Justice Department announced it had indicted 10 foreign nationals from various countries who are accused of illegally voting in Minnesota elections.
“The law is clear, only American citizens may vote in American elections, and enforcing this law is fundamental to our democracy,” Blanche said. “That should not be a partisan concept.”
The denaturalization move also comes on the heels of the Department of Homeland Security publicizing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement made a barrage of high-profile arrests late last month that included “murderers, child sexual predators, and child abusers who should not have been in our country in the first place.”
Those indicted were from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Nigeria, Micronesia, the Dominican Republic, and El Salvador.
The list of offenses included murder, sexual abuse of a minor, assault, and drug possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.
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