U.S. President Donald Trump’s Immigration Policy has intensified efforts to strip naturalized Americans of their US citizenship as part of his clampdown on migrants. This was contained in a recently published Justice Department memo. The memo directs attorneys to prioritize denaturalization for naturalized citizens who commit certain crimes, illustrating the broader implications of the Trump Immigration Policy.
The memo calls on attorneys in the justice department to institute civil proceedings to revoke a person’s United States citizenship. This applies if they either “illegally procured” naturalization or procured naturalization by “concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation”. These measures reinforce Trump’s Immigration Policy focus on tightening immigration controls.
Trump’s Latest Plans
The initiative is targeted at the estimated 25 million US citizens who immigrated to the country after being born abroad. It particularly focuses on those involved “in the commission of war crimes, extrajudicial killings, or other serious human rights abuses … [and] naturalized criminals, gang members, or, indeed, any individuals convicted of crimes who pose an ongoing threat to the US”.
The directive gives the justice department attorneys wider discretion on when to pursue denaturalization. It includes instances of lying on immigration forms. It also covers cases where there is financial fraud or medical fraud against the US or against private individuals, aligning with the stringent aspects of Trump’s Immigration Policy. Additionally, it covers cases referred by a US attorney’s office or in connection with pending criminal charges. The memo’s focus on denaturalization comes as at least one person has been denaturalized in recent weeks.
Second-Class Citizen Fears
As president Trump moves ahead with his plans, immigration attorneys have expressed concern. They worry that denaturalization cases via civil litigation strip some rights from the individual, including rights to an attorney. These cases also lower the threshold of proof and speed up the denaturalization process. This effectively creates a second class of US citizens under the Trump Immigration Policy.
“It is kind of, in a way, trying to create a second class of US citizens,” Sameera Hafiz, policy director of the Immigration Legal Resource Center said.
