The Hill: A US campaign threatens to strip millions of naturalized citizens of their citizenship!
The Hill newspaper revealed that the US Department of Justice issued a new memorandum dated June 11, urging civil attorneys to intensify their efforts to revoke the US citizenship of naturalized citizens who committed crimes or concealed important information during the naturalization process.
A memo emphasizes the need to target individuals who may pose a threat to national security, or who obtained citizenship by providing misleading information or concealing essential facts, such as concealing criminal records, even in cases where they haven’t been formally convicted and still face pending criminal charges.
The directives also allow for the revocation of citizenship from persons with links to terrorism or who have committed serious crimes that were not disclosed during naturalization proceedings.
According to the Hill newspaper, the document clarifies that these directives aren’t exclusive, but rather allow the authorities to follow up on any other cases referred to the civil division that are deemed of major importance.
This decision has sparked widespread concern among some legal experts, who described it as overly vague, potentially leading to the revocation of citizenship for unclear reasons, or even based on activities related to freedom of expression.
These developments come amid repeated statements by President Donald Trump and members of his party about the possibility of deporting their political opponents, raising concerns that the policy of revoking citizenship is being used as a political tool.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Trump hinted at the possibility of deporting billionaire Elon Musk over his criticism of a new law adopted by the administration, saying sarcastically, “We might send DOGE… the monster who might have to come back and eat Elon!” referring to the Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk helped establish.
Republican Representative Andy Ogles also called for the revocation of citizenship from progressive candidate Zahran Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, after he won the New York City mayoral primary.
Data from 2023 indicate that approximately 25 million naturalized US citizens could be affected by this policy if it’s implemented broadly.
In a rare move, a judge agreed to strip Elliott Duke, a former US soldier with British citizenship, of his US citizenship after it was determined he was involved in distributing child sexual exploitation material and failed to disclose this crime during his application for US citizenship.
