DOJ Identifies 384 for Denaturalization Over Fraud

The U.S. Department of Justice has identified 384 foreign-born naturalized citizens for denaturalization proceedings, signaling a major escalation in efforts to revoke citizenship obtained through alleged fraud. Officials announced the initiative during an internal meeting last week, directing civil litigators in 39 U.S. attorneys' offices across the country to prepare and file the cases in the coming weeks.

The targeted individuals are accused of securing citizenship by concealing disqualifying information, entering sham marriages, or misrepresenting key facts during the naturalization process, according to federal law. Certain criminal convictions can also trigger revocation. The government must prove these claims with clear and convincing evidence in federal court, a requirement that has historically made such cases rare and labor-intensive. Traditionally handled by specialists in the Justice Department's Office of Immigration Litigation, the new approach distributes the workload to regional prosecutors to accelerate proceedings.

Francey Hakes, director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, described the 384 cases during the meeting as the first wave in a...