The U.S. government has introduced a new policy permitting the removal of citizenship from naturalized Americans who have committed certain criminal offenses.
Naturalized citizens are individuals born outside the United States who later became citizens through a formal legal process. This typically involves living in the U.S. for a designated period and successfully passing a citizenship exam.
The policy, outlined in an internal government memo dated June 11, 2025, provides federal attorneys with legal justification to initiate civil cases against individuals accused of acquiring U.S. citizenship unlawfully or by concealing important information during the naturalization process.
Focus on Millions of Naturalized Citizens
According to The Guardian, this directive could affect a segment of the estimated 25 million naturalized Americans those who migrated to the U.S. after birth.
Civil Cases Don’t Guarantee Legal Counsel
The memo notes that, unlike in criminal court, defendants in civil proceedings are not guaranteed legal representation. This opens the door for the government to pursue denaturalization in cases where criminal charges are absent or unprosecutable.
Authorities say the directive targets individuals whose criminal activities pose a continued threat to national safety.
These include people involved in war crimes, extrajudicial killings, or serious human rights violations. Also under scrutiny are gang members, individuals convicted of violent crimes, and those who may have engaged in financial or immigration fraud.
First Case Under New Policy
The first known case under this new rule involved Elliott Duke, a U.S. military veteran originally from the U.K. On June 13, a federal court stripped him of his citizenship after it was discovered he had been convicted of distributing child sexual abuse material information he omitted during his naturalization.
Duke’s case is expected to serve as a precedent for how the Department of Justice (DOJ) will enforce the policy moving forward.
Criticism From Immigration Experts
Legal experts and immigrant rights advocates have criticized the directive, warning it may create unequal treatment between naturalized and native-born citizens.
Sameera Hafiz, policy director at the Immigration Legal Resource Center, cautioned that the move could effectively create a “second-tier” class of citizenship, where naturalized individuals may not enjoy the same legal protections as those born in the U.S.
Justice Department Shifts Focus
The DOJ’s civil rights division, historically tasked with tackling racial discrimination, has been redirected to enforce this policy and other controversial Trump-era agendas. These include dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and banning gender-affirming healthcare.
This shift has reportedly caused unrest within the department. National Public Radio (NPR) reports that around 70% of the division’s legal team roughly 250 attorneys left between January and May.
In recent months, the department has launched investigations into race-conscious admissions practices at universities like the University of Virginia, where President Jim Ryan resigned during a federal probe.
Additionally, the division has filed lawsuits against 15 federal judges in Maryland who blocked the expedited deportation of migrants undergoing legal proceedings.
Copyright © 2025 Gistlover Media. All Rights Reserved