this trump card The government announced plans to revoke the citizenship of 17 U.S. citizens accused of immigration fraud. The move is part of a larger campaign to strip citizens of citizenship, which has been called the largest such effort in U.S. history.
![Trump administration seeks to revoke citizenship of 17 US citizens [Samuel Corum/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Samuel Corum / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)] (AFP Getty Images)](https://www.hindustantimes.com/ht-img/img/2026/06/08/550x309/US-PRESIDENT-TRUMP-DELIVERS-REMARKS-ON-SUPPORTING-_1780941100208_1780941100312_6a4a62f2-879c-4f75-8e6f-8c0d2fa6b0c6.jpg "Trump administration seeks to revoke citizenship of 17 US citizens [Samuel Corum/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Samuel Corum / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)] (AFP Getty Images)")
CBS News first reported on the plans before the Justice Department unveiled them. Officials say the government is now using “dirty citizenship powers” more aggressively than before. The Justice Department filed an average of only about 11 denaturalization cases each year between 1990 and 2017, CBS News first reported.
Trump citizenship crackdown
Denaturalization means stripping a naturalized person of his or her U.S. citizenship citizen If they obtained it through fraud or concealment of material facts. The legal process is rare and complex and must be certified by a judge in federal court.
Trump administrative Starting from 2025, the types of cases that can be prioritized for deprivation of nationality will be expanded. Officials had announced about a dozen such cases last month, CBS News reported, making this latest move the largest in several years.
17 citizens targeted
The 17 targeted individuals include people convicted of serious offenses including child sexual abuse, fraud and other criminal offences. U.S. officials say some people have concealed criminal records or failed to meet “good moral character” requirements when applying for citizenship.
The cases include people from diverse backgrounds, such as immigrants from Haiti, Mexico, the former Yugoslavia, Colombia, the Philippines, Jamaica, Cuba and India, CBS News reported.
Indian immigrant accused of forging documents H-1B visa petition as part of immigration fraud charges. As quoted in a CBS News report, officials including Acting Attorney General Todd Branch have said there will be “zero tolerance” for abuse of the citizenship system.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said citizenship must be “honestly earned” and could be taken away if laws are broken or lies are discovered during the process. If people are denaturalized, they lose their U.S. citizenship and can revert to their previous immigration status, which can also put them at risk of deportation.
