DOJ ramps up denaturalization for citizenship fraud

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Wednesday that the Justice Department is intensifying efforts to revoke the citizenship of naturalized Americans who obtained it fraudulently, as part of a broader push on immigration enforcement. Speaking at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix, Blanche said the department is on pace to surpass the number of denaturalization cases filed by the previous administration over four years within about a week.

Blanche framed the initiative as a means to safeguard the naturalization process. "If you're going to come and become a citizen in this country, but you're going to do it by fraud, you're going to do it in a way that's illegal, you should be worried," he told reporters, including in a CBS News interview. He emphasized that the effort targets no specific group, adding, "There are a lot of individuals who are citizens who shouldn't be." The Justice Department declined to provide an estimate on the number of cases it plans to pursue.

Denaturalization has historically been uncommon, with federal authorities filing just over 300 cases nationwide between 1990 and 2017. Last year, internal guidance expanded priorities to include broader...