The Donald Trump administration announced this Monday legal actions aimed at revoking U.S. citizenship from naturalized immigrants who committed fraud during their immigration process.
In a statement, the Department of Justice said it has filed lawsuits in several federal courts against 17 naturalized U.S. citizens accused of “serious crimes,” including child sexual abuse, bank fraud, and drug trafficking.
“When foreign nationals with criminal records take advantage of the naturalization process by breaking the law, there are consequences,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
Who is affected by this decision and what could the consequences be
Those affected include naturalized citizens from multiple countries, among them Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, Mexico, India, Somalia, the Philippines, and Jamaica.
For his part, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin assured that the administration will continue using “all legal avenues to remove them from the country.”
“U.S. citizenship is a privilege and must be earned honestly. If you come here, break our laws, and lie in your immigration procedures, you lose that privilege,” the Homeland Security official wrote on the social network X while sharing the news about the lawsuits reported by CBS.
Mullin added that his department will not stand “idly by while Americans are harmed by criminals,” who, he said, “have exploited the generosity of the U.S. and taken advantage of its immigration system.”
If these proceedings succeed, the affected individuals would revert to their previous immigration status and lose all rights associated with U.S. citizenship, including protection from deportation.
The offensive is part of the tightening of immigration policies driven by the Trump administration since its return to the White House in January 2025.
Source: EFE