The administration has filed 22 denaturalization cases during Trump’s second term.
Under President Donald Trump, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has made denaturalization—the process of revoking U.S. citizenship—of criminal immigrants a priority, and has already brought more than 20 cases on the issue.
Denaturalization cases generally target individuals accused of fraud in the naturalization process or serious criminal conduct that could invalidate citizenship.
The issue drew national attention this month when a naturalized UK-born citizen with a criminal history was the suspect in the killing of three people in the Atlanta area, prompting political calls for stricter enforcement.
Here’s a breakdown of the administration’s efforts and how denaturalization works.
Renewed Efforts Under Trump
The Trump administration has filed 22 denaturalization cases so far in his second term, according to data from the DOJ. If his first term is any indication, there will be many more.
From 2017 to 2021, there were 102 denaturalization cases filed. By contrast, the Biden administration filed 24 cases from 2021 through 2025.
A June 2025 memo from the DOJ prioritized investigations and enforcement actions advancing denaturalization. The memo said it may pursue civil denaturalization when citizenship was illegally obtained or secured through fraud or willful misrepresentation under federal law.
It also directed the Civil Division to prioritize and aggressively pursue cases supported by evidence, particularly those involving national security threats, terrorism, war crimes, gang activity, undisclosed felonies, violent offenses, human trafficking, and financial fraud.
Officials said the effort was intended to remove individuals who posed risks to public safety and to protect the integrity of the naturalization system by ensuring those who obtained citizenship unlawfully did not retain its benefits.
Most recently, the DOJ said on April 24 that it filed a denaturalization action against Hassan Sherjil Khan, a native of Pakistan. Khan allegedly started communicating online with an 11-year-old girl in 2007 or 2008 and coerced her into sending him sexually explicit images of herself. Khan allegedly engaged in sexual acts with her when she was 15.
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the DOJ’s Civil Division said that “naturalization and U.S. citizenship will not protect sexual predators from the consequences of their horrific acts.”
“If you fail to disclose serious crimes while seeking naturalization, the government will discover your lies and revoke your ill-gotten U.S. citizenship,” he said.
Earlier this year, the department denaturalized a man who, during his naturalization process, did not disclose that he was convicted of sexually assaulting a child. In March, it also denaturalized Vladimir Volgaev, a native of Ukraine who was convicted of smuggling goods and theft of government money in 2020, four years after he had been naturalized.
By Tom Gantert
