The Justice Department has filed court cases seeking to strip U.S. citizenship from 40 naturalized Americans, in what Attorney General Todd Blanche on Monday described as the largest denaturalization effort in modern American history. The complaints were filed in federal courts across the country between August 21 and October 2, and target people the government accuses of serious offenses — including espionage, manslaughter, sexual abuse, and fraud — that were concealed when they applied for citizenship.
According to the department, the 40 cases represent the largest number of denaturalization complaints filed in a single period under the Trump administration. "Today's announcement marks the largest denaturalization effort in modern history," Blanche said in a statement. "From an individual convicted of espionage to others convicted of sexual offenses against minors, these defendants concealed critical facts from the U.S. government and represent serious criminal offenders. Under President Trump's leadership, the Department of Justice will continue to employ the denaturalization process to maintain our national security and protect the American people."
The allegations span a wide range of conduct. Prosecutors say the defendants are accused of acting as an agent for a foreign government, committing voluntary manslaughter, aggravated sodomy against a special-needs man, money laundering, child sexual abuse, visa fraud, and tax evasion. The defendants come from many countries, including Mexico, Pakistan, China, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Egypt, Venezuela, Nigeria, and Cuba, with Mexico accounting for the most cases at 11.
Two of the people named are accused of espionage on behalf of China. One is Jinchao Wei, a China-born former U.S. Navy sailor convicted of espionage-related offenses. The Justice Department says Wei enlisted in the Navy in 2021 and had begun conspiring to sell military secrets to China by February 2022. He became a U.S. citizen in May 2022 under provisions that speed up naturalization for people serving honorably in the armed forces.
Another defendant is Javier Marrero-Pando, a 60-year-old Cuban-born man who, the department says, forced a man with special needs to perform sexual acts against his will in May 2020. Marrero-Pando allegedly lied under oath in October 2020, telling immigration officials he had never committed a crime for which he had not been arrested — a false statement the government says led to the approval of his naturalization.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a naturalized citizen's citizenship can be revoked and the certificate of naturalization canceled if the naturalization was illegally obtained or secured through concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation. Prosecutors argue that by hiding criminal acts or other disqualifying facts during the application process, the 40 individuals lacked the required good moral character and should never have been granted citizenship.
"Every single one of these individuals lied their way into U.S. citizenship," said Brett A. Shumate, the assistant attorney general for the department's Civil Division. "This administration will continue to pursue the largest denaturalization effort in department history to restore trust and integrity in U.S. citizenship. Our message is clear: the United States will not tolerate deception in the naturalization process."
The push fits into a broader immigration crackdown that has defined the second Trump term. NewsPulse previously reported on the Supreme Court's decision to let the administration restart deportations to third countries (read it here) and on the court's move to take up the fight over no-bond immigration detentions (read it here). Denaturalization, however, goes a step further: it does not merely remove someone from the country, it undoes the citizenship itself.
The legal tool is not new. Denaturalization laws have been on the books for decades. After World War II, the government moved against dozens of naturalized citizens accused of hiding involvement in the Holocaust or committing war crimes. One of the most famous cases involved Emma Goldman, the Lithuanian-born anarchist and women's rights activist who was jailed in 1917 over her antiwar activities and was later denaturalized and deported to the Soviet Union. But the practice grew far less common after the end of the Cold War, and large-scale use of it now marks a sharp break with recent practice.
Human rights groups have pushed back against the expansion, arguing that aggressive denaturalization could leave people stateless. Critics have also warned that the process could be turned against people the president views as political opponents. Last year, the administration signaled it could seek to denaturalize large numbers of Somali Americans after fraud allegations surfaced around Minnesota daycare programs. Representative Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican, has floated stripping citizenship from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who was born in Uganda. Trump himself has even raised the idea of withdrawing citizenship from tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, a former close ally, after the two had a falling out in 2025.
The president has separately continued his long-running effort to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States. In June, the Supreme Court struck down his attempt to dismantle it, and he has since issued a second executive order seeking to restrict how the citizenship rule is applied, with court battles still ongoing. Birthright citizenship is protected by the Constitution and cannot be revoked the way naturalized citizenship can.
Each of the 40 cases will now move through the federal courts, where the defendants can contest the government's claims. The outcome of those cases — and whether the department keeps filing at this pace — will determine whether this week's announcement marks the start of a sustained campaign. With the November midterm elections weeks away, the denaturalization drive is certain to remain at the center of the national debate over immigration and the meaning of American citizenship.