Trump administration launches largest denaturalization action, targeting 40 naturalized citizens

The Trump administration has launched the largest denaturalization action in modern history, filing federal lawsuits to strip 40 naturalized Americans of their U.S. citizenship. The Justice Department alleges the individuals, originating from 20 countries, obtained citizenship through fraud or by concealing serious crimes, including espionage for China and child pornography. This push represents a massive escalation in denaturalization proceedings, which historically averaged just 11 cases annually but have surged to record levels in 2026.

Individuals accused of national security offenses

• ▪The U.S. government is seeking to denaturalize Jinchao Wei, a Chinese-born former U.S. Navy sailor convicted in 2025 of conspiracy to commit espionage and unlawfully exporting technical defense data
• ▪The Justice Department is seeking to revoke the citizenship of Ping Li, who pleaded guilty in 2024 to acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government

Individuals accused of identity fraud

• ▪Assad Jhon Ramim, an Afghan national, is accused of using another person's identity during a decades-long effort to obtain immigration benefits that culminated in U.S. citizenship
• ▪Ahmad Bahar Khattak, a Pakistani native, is accused of using multiple identities to evade deportation and later obtain immigration benefits and U.S. citizenship

Nadia Hassan Mohamed Ali case

• ▪The Justice Department is seeking to revoke the citizenship of Nadia Hassan Mohamed Ali, 58, for allegedly using fraudulent H-1B petitions to allow a family member to remain in the United States
• ▪Federal prosecutors allege that Egyptian native Nadia Hassan Mohamed Ali misrepresented her work history and sponsorship during her own naturalization process

Iain Lumsden case

• ▪British native Iain Lumsden was sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to a federal child pornography offense in 2021
• ▪Iain Lumsden, a 50-year-old British native who pleaded guilty in 2021 to a federal child pornography offense, is targeted for allegedly concealing conduct related to that offense that began before he became a citizen

Legal standards for revoking citizenship

• ▪Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, naturalized U.S. citizenship can be revoked by a federal court if the government establishes that it was illegally obtained or procured through concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation
• ▪In the 2017 case Maslenjak v. United States, the Supreme Court held that an illegal act during the naturalization process must have played a role in obtaining citizenship to support denaturalization

Civil Division guidance

• ▪The June 2025 guidance from the Justice Department’s Civil Division cited fraud, certain criminal conduct, and national security concerns as grounds for denaturalization
• ▪In June 2025, the Justice Department’s Civil Division directed attorneys to prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by evidence

Historical trends in denaturalization cases

• ▪At least 105 denaturalization lawsuits were filed in the first seven months of 2026, nearly matching the roughly 125 cases recorded by TRAC over the entire period from 2008 through 2025
• ▪Historically, denaturalization was reserved for serious crimes, such as post-World War II cases involving individuals accused of concealing involvement in the Holocaust or engaging in war crimes
• ▪The federal government initiated an average of about 11 denaturalization cases annually between 1990 and 2017, which rose to roughly 25 cases per year during Donald Trump's first term

Birthright citizenship

• ▪President Donald Trump issued a second executive order seeking to restrict how birthright citizenship is applied, leading to ongoing legal battles
• ▪In June 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle birthright citizenship, which is protected under the U.S. Constitution

Debatable claims

• ▪The U.S. should restrict denaturalization to national security threats and war crimes
• ▪The U.S. Constitution permits the president to restrict birthright citizenship
• ▪The Justice Department's expanded denaturalization campaign is justified
• ▪Pre-naturalization misconduct is sufficient grounds to revoke U.S. citizenship