Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Trump administration is intensifying efforts to revoke U.S. citizenship from immigrants who allegedly obtained naturalization through fraud.
Speaking to CBS News in Phoenix, Blanche said individuals who became American citizens illegally “should be worried.” He argued that the administration is pursuing more denaturalization cases now than at any point in the past decade.
According to the report, the Justice Department is expanding the categories of cases prioritized for citizenship revocation.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche tells CBS News' @camiloreports that the Trump administration will target naturalized citizens who have committed fraud and revoke their citizenship.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 7, 2026
"I'm not sure why this is even controversial," Blanche said of the denaturalization campaign.… pic.twitter.com/5yWGbuCWg4
Historically, denaturalization was mostly reserved for individuals tied to national security threats, violent crimes, or human rights abuses. However, a Justice Department memo issued last year reportedly broadened the focus to include financial fraud cases.
Blanche declined to estimate how many people could lose citizenship under the crackdown but claimed that “a lot” of current citizens should not have received naturalization.
The report said the legal process remains difficult and requires federal courts to determine whether citizenship was obtained fraudulently.
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