Justice Department Files Denaturalization Cases Against 10 Naturalized Citizens
The Trump administration has escalated its campaign to strip U.S. citizenship from individuals accused of serious crimes, filing denaturalization actions against 10 people over the past 30 days, the Department of Justice announced on July 20, 2026. This marks the latest wave in what officials call the largest denaturalization effort in modern American history.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the defendants, originally from Cuba, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, and Poland, are accused of offenses including child sexual abuse, health care and wire fraud, immigration fraud, and cocaine trafficking. The government alleges they concealed these crimes or used false documents when applying for citizenship.
“These ten criminal aliens — including child sex abusers, a $900,000 Medicare fraudster, and a cocaine trafficker — lied their way into U.S. citizenship,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a press release. “Each of these individuals lacked the good moral character required by law and procured citizenship through willful misrepresentations.”
The filings were made in federal district courts across Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Washington. If the government prevails, the defendants would revert to lawful permanent resident status and potentially face deportation.
The Cases in Detail
Among those targeted is Yoskmaikel Rodriguez Perez, a 45-year-old native of Cuba who became a lawful permanent resident in 2004 and naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2018. According to the DOJ, Rodriguez Perez operated a purported medical clinic before obtaining citizenship and submitted false claims to Medicare totaling more than $886,000. He was later convicted of conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud.
The other nine individuals include people accused of concealing child sexual abuse, drug trafficking, and immigration fraud during the naturalization process. The DOJ said six of the defendants are originally from Mexico, with one each from Cuba, Pakistan, Peru, and Poland.
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said, “We refuse to give a free pass to criminals who cheated their way into American citizenship. Under this administration, if you defrauded the naturalization process, you will face the full force of the Justice Department. We’ve only scratched the surface — many more complaints are coming.”
A Historic Surge in Denaturalization Cases
The administration’s push represents a dramatic departure from decades of precedent. Historically, the U.S. government pursued only a handful of denaturalization cases each year, primarily targeting national security threats, suspected war criminals, and affiliates of terror groups. The process is resource-intensive, expensive, and can take years to resolve.
Under President Donald Trump, the federal government has moved to drastically increase denaturalization filings. According to the DOJ, the current administration has filed nearly 90 denaturalization cases since the start of 2025. By October, officials aim to file at least 250 cases in federal court.
For comparison, the Biden administration brought 24 cases over four years, while Trump’s first term saw 102 cases. “This is a major increase that we haven’t seen in decades,” said Cassandra Robertson, a professor of law at Case Western Reserve University and an expert on denaturalization.
Unlike revoking visas, ending U.S. citizenship requires meeting strict legal standards under the Immigration and Nationality Act. A naturalized citizen’s citizenship may be revoked only if the naturalization was illegally procured or procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.
“When you commit fraud during the naturalization process, you forfeit the right to keep your U.S. citizenship,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement. “These criminal aliens, comprised of drug traffickers, pedophiles, and fraudsters, lost that right and exploited our immigration system — harming real U.S. citizens. DHS is committed to ensuring we denaturalize and remove these fraudsters with every tool at our disposal.”
Administration’s Broader Immigration Agenda
The denaturalization push is part of Trump’s broader immigration enforcement agenda, which he expanded after returning to office. The administration has argued that the campaign is necessary to preserve the integrity of the naturalization process and to prevent criminals from exploiting the system.
Critics, however, raise concerns about the scale and speed of the effort. Legal experts note that denaturalization cases are complex and require careful proof that fraud occurred. The administration’s goal of 250 cases in a single year would far exceed any previous administration’s efforts.
A list released by DHS and DOJ on Monday said the group of 10 was accused or convicted of crimes that occurred before they applied for citizenship. The government argues those citizenship grants should never have occurred because key information was concealed or misrepresented during the naturalization process.
Broader Implications and Future Trends
The administration’s aggressive use of denaturalization raises fundamental questions about the nature of citizenship and the balance between enforcement and due process. While the vast majority of denaturalization targets are accused of serious crimes, the expansion of the program could affect a broader range of individuals in the future.
“We’ve only scratched the surface,” Shumate said, signaling that more cases are likely. The DOJ’s Civil Division is expected to file additional complaints in the coming months, further increasing the number of individuals facing citizenship revocation.
For those who lose their citizenship, the consequences are severe. They revert to green card status and could face deportation, depending on their criminal record and immigration history. In some cases, they could be removed from the United States entirely.
The administration’s strategy has drawn support from groups that advocate for stricter immigration enforcement. The American Greatness website, for example, praised the DOJ’s actions as a necessary step to remove “criminal migrants” from the country. The DOJ’s press release was widely shared on social media, with the department’s official X account posting: “Justice Department Moves to Revoke U.S. Citizenship from 10 Naturalized Criminals Including Child Molesters, Scammers, and Drug Dealers.”
Legal and Political Challenges Ahead
The denaturalization push is likely to face legal challenges. Civil rights organizations have argued that the process can be unfair, particularly for individuals who may have obtained citizenship years or decades ago and have since built lives, families, and businesses in the United States. The government must prove its case by clear and convincing evidence, a high legal standard.
Moreover, the resources required to pursue 250 cases could strain the DOJ’s Civil Division. Each case involves extensive document review, witness testimony, and litigation. Some legal analysts question whether the administration can maintain this pace without compromising quality or due process.
Cassandra Robertson noted that the increase is unprecedented. “We haven’t seen anything like this since the aftermath of World War II, when the government stripped citizenship from Nazis and collaborators,” she said. “The current effort is much broader in scope and targets a wider range of offenses.”
As the administration continues its push, the number of denaturalization cases is expected to rise. The DOJ has not released a full list of future targets, but officials have indicated that the focus will remain on individuals accused of serious crimes or immigration fraud. The administration argues that thousands of naturalized citizens may have obtained their status through fraud or misrepresentation, suggesting that the current cases may be just the beginning.
The political implications are significant. Immigration remains a top issue for voters, and Trump’s hardline stance resonates with his base. However, the expansion of denaturalization could also spark backlash from immigrant communities and civil liberties advocates. Congress may also weigh in, with some lawmakers calling for oversight hearings to examine the program’s scope and fairness.
For now, the 10 individuals named in the latest filings face an uncertain future. Their cases will unfold in federal courts over the coming months and years. If the government succeeds, it will mark a major victory for the administration’s immigration enforcement agenda. But if legal challenges slow the effort, it may test the limits of executive power in a polarizing area of law.
As the denaturalization wave continues, the definition of American citizenship itself is being debated. The Trump administration has made clear that it views citizenship as a privilege that can be revoked when obtained through fraud. Critics argue that once granted, citizenship should be nearly irrevocable, emphasizing that individuals who have naturalized are full members of the national community. The outcome of this campaign will shape immigration law and policy for years to come.
Perhaps the most important metric will be the number of cases that actually result in denaturalization. While the administration has filed many complaints, previous efforts have often taken years to resolve. The courts will ultimately decide whether the government’s evidence meets the high bar required to strip someone of their citizenship. Until then, the denaturalization push remains one of the most controversial and closely watched elements of Trump’s immigration policy.
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