The Donald Trump administration has formalized its efforts to speed up the revocation of US citizenship for some Americans, putting naturalized citizens, immigrants who became Americans through the legal naturalization process, in the crosshairs.A justice department memo, issued on June 11, directs government attorneys to prioritize civil proceedings that strip citizenship from individuals who allegedly obtained it illegally or by lying during the process or are charged with crimes.

What does the memo say?

The directive focuses on using civil proceedings to revoke citizenship in cases involving war crimes, extrajudicial killings, human rights abuses, terrorism, and individuals convicted of crimes who pose an ongoing threat to the US.“The benefits of civil denaturalization include the government’s ability to revoke the citizenship of individuals who engaged in the commission of war crimes, extrajudicial killings, or other serious human rights abuses; to remove naturalized criminals, gang members, or, indeed, any individuals convicted of crimes who pose an ongoing threat to the United States; and to prevent convicted terrorists from returning to U.S. soil or traveling internationally on a US passport,” it said.“The Civil Division shall prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence,” it added.

How many citizens are at risk?

At the heart of this move are roughly 25 million US citizens who were born abroad but became Americans through naturalization, according to 2023 data. The memo outlines 10 priority categories for denaturalization, including individuals involved in war crimes, human rights abuses, gang activity, or those convicted of crimes deemed to pose an ongoing threat to the US.At least one individual has already been stripped of US citizenship in recent weeks after a conviction. According to the DOJ, the person had been found guilty of collecting and distributing child sexual abuse material, Axios reported.