The administration of United States President Donald Trump is stepping up its immigration efforts, with targets now placed on naturalised Americans.
It was gathered that the Trump administration placed targets on naturalised Americans by establishing monthly denaturalization quotas that far exceed historical averages.
According to internal guidance recently issued to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field offices, officials have been instructed to refer between 100 and 200 denaturalization cases per month to the Department of Justice for the 2026 fiscal year.
For perspective, the U.S government filed only about 120 such cases in total between 2017 and early 2025.
Under the new directive, the administration is prioritizing the following individuals linked to street gangs, drug cartels, or violent offenses, citizens who allegedly committed significant financial crimes, and those who are found to have concealed material facts or used false identities during their initial application process.
Denaturalisation cases have traditionally been rare and largely limited to individuals found to have concealed serious criminal histories, human rights violations, or material facts during their citizenship application process.
However, the new push is part of a wider DHS strategy to tighten immigration controls, which has also included stepped-up deportation operations, visa revocations, and attempts to remove legal residents, including green card holders.
A USCIS spokesperson said the agency maintains a “zero-tolerance policy” toward fraud in the naturalisation process and will pursue denaturalisation proceedings when there is credible evidence of fraud or misrepresentation. The agency said it continues to work with the Department of Justice to protect the integrity of the immigration system.
Justice Department attorneys have reportedly been instructed to prioritise denaturalisation cases, with guidance that includes a broad range of potential targets, from individuals deemed national security risks to those accused of defrauding government programmes such as Medicare or Medicaid. The guidance also allows discretion to pursue “any other cases” considered sufficiently important.
This development comes as the USCIS announced that it was planning a major reform to the naturalization civics test, part of a wider effort to tighten U.S. citizenship standards.
Naturalization is the legal process through which a foreign-born person becomes a U.S. citizen.
New civics test: The 2025 test was designed to more rigorously assess applicants’ knowledge of U.S. history, government, and civic responsibilities, ensuring new citizens understand both the rights and obligations of American citizenship.
Stricter vetting: USCIS has restored robust vetting for all applicants, including closer review of application records and verification that candidates meet statutory requirements.
Good moral character assessment: Officers are instructed to evaluate applicants based on positive contributions to society such as community engagement, steady employment, and family responsibility rather than only the absence of criminal activity.
The administration is also seeking to streamline investigations by embedding trained personnel across USCIS’s more than 80 field offices, rather than relying on a centralised unit, a shift officials believe could increase case identification.
The move aligns with Trump’s long-standing views on citizenship and immigration. The president has repeatedly questioned who should qualify as an American and is separately pursuing legal arguments aimed at restricting birthright citizenship, a principle enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and currently under review by the Supreme Court.
Roughly 800,000 immigrants become naturalised U.S. citizens each year, according to DHS. To qualify, applicants must meet requirements including legal permanent residency, English proficiency, knowledge of U.S. civics, and proof of “good moral character.”
