Washington Orders Citizenship Revocations for 2026
WASHINGTON D.C. — The Trump administration has officially declared war on the permanence of American citizenship for naturalized immigrants. In a radical shift in federal policy, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has received orders to identify 100 to 200 denaturalization cases every month throughout the 2026 fiscal year. This directive represents a staggering escalation from previous norms, where such cases were rare and legally arduous. Between 2017 and 2025, the Justice Department filed only 120 cases in total—a figure the new administration aims to match in a single month. Consequently, the Department of Homeland Security is reassigning experts across 80 field offices to hunt for “fraudulent” files.
The administration is framing this crackdown as a necessary restoration of integrity to the immigration system. USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser emphasized a “zero-tolerance policy” toward any individual who misrepresented facts during their application. Furthermore, the Department of Justice has directed federal attorneys to prioritize cases involving national security, war crimes, and government fraud. However, the new guidance includes a broad, subjective category for “other significant cases” that has triggered alarm among legal experts. Critics argue that numerical quotas turn a serious judicial remedy into a blunt instrument for political enforcement. Meanwhile, President Trump has signaled a desire to remove anyone deemed not to be a “net asset” to the country.
Legal scholars and former officials warn that no president can unilaterally strip a citizen of their hard-earned rights. Stripping citizenship remains a complex judicial process that requires “clear, unequivocal, and convincing evidence” presented in federal court. Supreme Court precedents, dating back to 1943, emphasize that the law should be construed in favor of the citizen. Furthermore, experts stress that the 14th Amendment provides robust due process protections that the administration cannot simply bypass through internal memos. In a related development, advocacy groups are already preparing a barrage of lawsuits to challenge the legality of these numerical mandates.
Furthermore, the expansion of denaturalization efforts coincides with a broader assault on birthright citizenship, an issue currently heading toward the Supreme Court. The administration is essentially seeking to redefine citizenship as a conditional privilege rather than an irrevocable right. Around 800,000 people become naturalized Americans annually, each meeting rigorous requirements including English proficiency and “good moral character.” By setting arbitrary monthly targets, the government risks sweeping up ordinary citizens who made minor, unintentional errors decades ago. Ultimately, this policy creates a climate of fear for the 26 million naturalized Americans who now feel like “second-class” citizens.
The 2026 denaturalization push marks an unprecedented attempt to weaponize the administrative state against foreign-born Americans. While the administration claims to target only the “worst of the worst,” its quota-driven approach suggests a wider net. The American judicial system now stands as the final barrier between administrative overreach and the sanctity of the naturalization oath.