denaturalization cases
Definition
Legal proceedings initiated by the U.S. government, typically the Department of Justice, to revoke the naturalized citizenship of individuals who obtained it through fraud, concealment of criminal history, or other disqualifying factors such as war crimes or terrorism.
Specific instances or lawsuits tracked in federal courts where naturalized citizens face civil or criminal denaturalization, with numbers historically low (around 11 per year pre-2017) but increasing under certain administrations.
Examples
The DOJ's latest batch of denaturalization cases has immigration lawyers quipping that some folks' citizenship came with an expiration date printed in invisible ink.
Under the Trump administration's push, denaturalization cases are surging, proving that even the stars on your passport can get revoked for bad Yelp reviews on your past.
Vladimir Volgaev's denaturalization case reminds us: hiding your gun-running hobby during the citizenship interview is like bringing a water gun to a no-funeral policy.
With 168 cases filed recently, denaturalization is the government's way of saying 'thanks for applying, but your resume had some creative liberties we can't endorse.'