The Trump administration is expanding its push to revoke citizenship from some naturalized Americans accused of obtaining it through fraud or other ineligibility, with immigration attorneys being temporarily assigned to Justice Department offices as officials prioritize denaturalization cases.
According to Axios, lawyers at USCIS, the federal agency that handles legal immigration services, are being temporarily transferred to U.S. attorney’s offices to work on denaturalization cases. Four former agency officials told the outlet about the transfers, with one source saying staffers were being “volun-told” to move offices and another describing the process as lawyers “being force volunteered.”
A third source told Axios that prior trial or denaturalization experience is not required, so long as the attorneys have an active law license.
USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said in a statement to Axios, “We are proud to support this critical effort by providing the Department of Justice with a team of our most skilled immigration law attorneys.”
One source told Axios there is a reason “denats” have “never really taken off,” adding, “[I]t’s really hard to prove … the standard is really high, and you need good evidence.” Axios reported that in civil cases involving claims that someone willfully lied on a naturalization application, the government must prove its case with “clear, convincing, and unequivocal evidence which does not leave the issue in doubt.”
The report said the Trump administration has filed 35 denaturalization cases since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, including 12 this month, according to a DOJ spokesperson.
Axios also reported that DOJ officials have shortlisted 385 people for denaturalization charges, citing an April New York Times report. During Trump’s first term, USCIS said it had identified 2,500 potential cases but referred only a fraction to DOJ.
The Trump administration also attempted to accelerate denaturalization cases during Trump’s first term by creating a dedicated team of 10 to 15 lawyers. USCIS chief Joe Edlow said last September that cases identified by that team were “still kicking around.”
A June 2025 Justice Department memo listed denaturalization as a top priority for the administration. Axios reported that the memo said pursuing such cases “supports the overall integrity of the naturalization program.”
A DOJ spokesperson told Axios that the department welcomed assistance from USCIS lawyers “to advance the President’s mission to promote public safety and root out fraud.”
Axios reported that increasing the number of denaturalization cases has long been a goal for Edlow in cases involving suspected fraudulent immigration applications. Speaking last September at an event hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies, Edlow said, “I think it’s just as useful to have a decentralized denaturalization process.”
“If that gives rise to the need for a denaturalization, we’re going to move forward,” Edlow added. “I don’t need it specially sent to an office. I want every office using this as a benchmark.”
On May 8, Justice Department officials announced that they were seeking to denaturalize 12 naturalized American citizens accused of crimes or alleged conduct involving murder, terrorism, firearms trafficking, marriage fraud, identity fraud, possession of indecent digital images of minors, and other offenses. Todd Blanche told CBS News that people who became citizens through fraud or illegal means “should be worried,” adding that the department was “not limiting” itself to any particular category of person and that there are “a lot of individuals who are citizens who shouldn’t be.”
The cases involved individuals identified as being from Iraq, Colombia, Uzbekistan, Morocco, Somalia, The Gambia, Bolivia, Kenya, India, China, and Nigeria, with allegations ranging from terrorism-related offenses and concealment of war crimes to sham marriages, identity fraud, firearms trafficking, possession of indecent digital images of minors, and investor fraud.
The broader enforcement push has also been discussed by FBI Director Kash Patel, who said on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” on March 18 that the country needs “stronger legislation” to sentence and remove criminals and terrorists, including stronger laws on “the ability to denaturalize.” Discussing the Old Dominion attack, Patel said the attacker had previously been “convicted and sentenced [for] terrorism” but that “no one bothered to denaturalize him and remove him from the country.”
On Friday, May 22, officials announced that migrants in the United States seeking to use the Adjustment of Status pathway to green cards must generally return to their home countries and apply through U.S. embassies, except in extraordinary circumstances. The change does not affect refugees, asylum seekers, or migrants living overseas. USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said the administration was returning “to the original intent of the law” and said the policy would prevent the immigration system from “incentivizing loopholes.”
Read the full article here