The Trump administration has authorised U.S. immigration authorities to begin identifying 100 to 200 prospective denaturalisation cases each month.
According to an NBC News story, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, has relocated workers and sent experts to field offices across the country to evaluate previous naturalisation certifications.
The goal is to ensure that the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation receives a consistent flow of cases.
USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said the agency acts when there is evidence of fraud or misrepresentation in the naturalisation process.
“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards fraud in the naturalisation process and will pursue denaturalisation proceedings for any individual who lied or misrepresented themselves,” NBC quoted him as saying.
“We will continue to relentlessly pursue those undermining the integrity of America’s immigration system and work alongside the Department of Justice to ensure that only those who meet citizenship standards retain the privilege of US citizenship,” he said.
The Justice Department has instructed attorneys to prioritise denaturalisation. It has cited cases involving individuals who pose national security risks, committed war crimes, or engaged in Medicaid or Medicare fraud.
A broader clause allows action in “any other cases … that the division determines to be sufficiently important to pursue,” the Justice Department added.
Trump has repeatedly focused on citizenship policy. He is also seeking authority to end birthright citizenship for children born in the US to foreign nationals, an issue currently before the Supreme Court.
In a Thanksgiving message last year, Trump wrote that he would remove anyone who was not a “net asset” to the US and would “denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquillity.”
