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Trump DOJ Memo Elevates Denaturalization to Top Enforcement Priority
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87
9 days ago
The U.S. Department of Justice has directed its Civil Division and all U.S. Attorneys to “prioritize and maximally pursue” denaturalization cases, according to a June 11 memo signed by Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate. The order elevates revocation of citizenship to one of the division’s top five enforcement goals and applies nationwide. The guidance lists ten categories of crimes that will trigger priority review, including terrorism, espionage, war crimes, human trafficking, violent and sex offenses, gang activity and a range of frauds such as Paycheck Protection Program and Medicare fraud. Government figures cited in the memo show that roughly 24.5 million people—more than half of all immigrants in the United States—are naturalized citizens. Two days after the directive, the Justice Department secured the denaturalization of Elliott Duke, a U.K.-born Army veteran convicted in 2014 of distributing child sexual abuse material. Proceedings will be brought in civil court, a forum that allows the government to act under a lower burden of proof and does not guarantee government-funded legal counsel for defendants. Legal scholars, including Case Western Reserve University professor Cassandra Robertson, say the approach raises due-process concerns and risks leaving some individuals stateless. Immigrant-rights advocates warn the policy could create a second tier of citizenship, while supporters such as Heritage Foundation fellow Hans von Spakovsky contend it is a necessary tool to protect national security and punish fraud. Denaturalization was widely used during the McCarthy era but curtailed by a 1967 Supreme Court ruling before resurfacing under Operation Janus in 2017 and expanding during Donald Trump’s first term. The new directive signals a further acceleration of the practice and is expected to draw constitutional challenges from civil-rights groups.
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