Trump Administration Seeks to Revoke Citizenship of 17 Accused of Immigration Fraud

The Trump Administration is set to dramatically expand its denaturalization campaign Monday by seeking to revoke the citizenship of 17 naturalized Americans accused of immigration fraud and other serious crimes, according to a report first obtained by CBS News.

Justice Department officials described the move as the largest denaturalization push ever undertaken by the federal government, marking a sharp escalation in President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown.

Federal law has long allowed the government to strip citizenship from foreign-born Americans accused of fraudulently obtaining naturalization, including by concealing criminal activity or lying during the immigration process. But historically, denaturalization actions have been rare and difficult to pursue in federal court.

According to historical figures cited by CBS, the Justice Department filed an average of just 11 denaturalization complaints annually between 1990 and 2017.

That pace has accelerated significantly since Trump returned to office in 2025 promising what he called the largest deportation operation in American history.

Last month, administration officials announced roughly a dozen denaturalization cases, then considered the largest effort in years. Monday’s action expands that campaign even further.

The Justice Department argues the targeted individuals either concealed criminal conduct during the citizenship process or failed to meet the “good moral character” standard required for naturalization.

Several of the individuals named in recent court filings were convicted of violent or sex-related crimes involving minors.

Those targeted reportedly include a Haitian immigrant accused of sexually abusing his daughter; a former Yugoslavian immigrant convicted of child sexual abuse; a Mexican-born immigrant convicted of receiving sexually explicit images of minors; a former Colombian Catholic priest accused of child sex abuse; and a Filipino-born man who pleaded guilty to a child sex offense.

Other cases involve alleged financial and immigration fraud.

The list also includes an Indian immigrant accused of filing fraudulent H-1B visa petitions, the daughter of a Colombian drug trafficker accused of money laundering, a Jamaican-born man convicted of wire fraud, and a Cuban-born woman accused of defrauding a tribal casino.

Additional individuals were accused of using false identities during the immigration process.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the administration would aggressively pursue abuse of the naturalization system.

“Criminal aliens are lying about their past crimes, including drug dealers, sexual predators, and fraudsters,” Blanche said. “Zero tolerance.”

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the administration intends to continue using all available legal tools to remove immigrants who fraudulently obtained citizenship.

“American citizenship is a privilege, and it must be earned honestly,” Mullin said. “If you come here, break our laws, and lie in your immigration proceedings, you forfeit that privilege.”

Vice President JD Vance mentioned denaturalization as an option during a recent Fox News appearance.

Watch the clip below:

🚨 BREAKING: The Trump DOJ is set to announce the LARGEST-EVER program to DENATURALIZE US citizens accused of immigration fraud — CBS

LET’S GO! Please work Ilhan Omar in there! 🔥

These denaturalization powers were RARELY ever used so aggressively in these cases

JD Vance and… pic.twitter.com/U8JTNzPTr4

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 8, 2026