How often has the U.S. government revoked citizenship in the last 20 years and for what reasons?
Executive summary
Official denaturalization—the U.S. government’s judicial revocation of naturalized citizenship—occurs rarely but has seen renewed policy emphasis since 2025: DOJ created a dedicated Denaturalization Section in Feb. 2025 and issued a June 11, 2025 memo prioritizing such cases [1] [2]. Sources show denaturalization is limited to fraud, willful misrepresentation, or other narrow statutory grounds and is pursued via civil suits or criminal convictions rather than by administrative fiat [3] [4] [5].
1. What “revoking citizenship” legally means and how it happens
Denaturalization is the judicial cancellation of a certificate of naturalization when the government proves a person “illegally procured” citizenship or obtained it by “concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation”; it can occur in civil proceedings or after a criminal conviction for naturalization fraud, and courts require clear, convincing, and unequivocal evidence [5] [3] [4].
2. How often it has happened in the past 20 years — what reporting shows and what it does not
Available sources do not provide a comprehensive, exact count of denaturalizations over the past 20 years; news and advocacy reporting emphasize that the absolute number is small but rose at times and that administrations vary in emphasis. The Brennan Center and advocacy outlets note that denaturalization historically has been uncommon and legally difficult [5] [6]. Specific reporting cited increases to roughly “25 cases a year” during the first Trump administration as an illustrative figure, but nationwide, aggregate two‑decade totals are not given in the provided sources [7].
3. Who has been targeted and the reasons courts have accepted
Published DOJ announcements and fact sheets show the government pursues denaturalization for serious undisclosed crimes (including war crimes, terrorism, sex offenses), fraud in naturalization, failure to disclose criminal histories, and certain military‑service related issues; recent DOJ cases in 2025 include revocations for concealing serious crimes (a distributor of child sexual abuse material) and for immigration/identity fraud discovered through fingerprint reviews [8] [9] [1] [10].
4. Policy shift since 2024–2025: more resources, broader priorities
In 2025 the DOJ formally expanded capacity and signaled a priority to pursue more denaturalization cases: it created a Denaturalization Section (Feb. 2025) and issued memos expanding categories deemed priorities, including national‑security concerns, gang members and broader fraud referrals [1] [3] [2]. Immigrant‑rights groups and legal scholars warn this increases the number of cases DOJ may bring and could broaden the practical reach of denaturalization [10] [7].
5. Legal hurdles and protections that make revocation unusual
The Supreme Court and federal law impose high standards: courts demand clear and convincing proof, and established precedent protects naturalized citizens by treating citizenship as fundamental; civil denaturalization must overcome strict evidentiary and constitutional thresholds, which is why sources describe denaturalization as legally difficult and relatively rare [5] [3].
6. Data gaps, contested points and divergent narratives
Sources differ on scale and intent: DOJ materials stress past successes and newly prioritized enforcement [1] [8], while policy groups and legal advocates stress the rarity and danger of mission creep, noting concerns about resource limits and potential overreach [10] [7] [5]. Concrete national counts for “how many” over the last 20 years are not presented in the provided reporting; advocates cite past spikes in referrals (e.g., USCIS referral projects) but not a single authoritative aggregate number [10] [7].
7. Practical consequences for people and trends to watch
When denaturalization succeeds, the individual’s certificate is canceled and they revert to prior immigration status or become removable; some choose voluntary renunciation rather than litigate [11] [5]. Watch for DOJ’s prioritized memos and the Denaturalization Section’s caseload: if referrals from USCIS and ICE (such as fingerprint‑enrollment reviews) continue, denaturalization filings could increase even if court wins remain hard to secure [1] [10].
Limitations and sourcing note: this analysis relies only on the supplied reporting and legal summaries; the sources do not include a definitive, government‑wide tally of denaturalizations over the past 20 years, so precise counts and year‑by‑year trends are not available in current reporting [5] [10].