Civil Division launches denaturalization unit targeting 25 million citizens

On Jun. 11, 2025, the Department of Justice issued a memo directing U.S. attorneys to “maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings” against an estimated 25 million naturalized citizens (NPR, Axios).

Denaturalization actions occur in civil court, where defendants are not entitled to a jury trial or government-provided counsel, and the government need only prove its case by “clear and convincing” evidence rather than “beyond a reasonable doubt” (Axios).

If a naturalized parent is stripped of citizenship, any minor children whose status derives from that parent may also lose U.S. citizenship and face deportation risk (Hacking Law Practice).

The first person targeted under the new campaign was Elliott Duke, a military veteran whose denaturalization was ordered by a judge on Jun. 13, 2025 (The Hill).

Between 1990 and 2017, the U.S. averaged 11 denaturalization cases per year; under President Trump’s first term, that number rose to 25 cases in 2017 and about 20 more in early 2018 (ACS, NPR).

Historical precedent for large-scale denaturalization occurred during the McCarthy era (1940s–1950s), when roughly 22 000 people were stripped of citizenship for alleged political reasons (New Republic).

The Supreme Court’s 1967 decision in Afroyim v. Rusk established that citizenship is a right and cannot be revoked for post-naturalization conduct (Hacking Law Practice).