Would the bill strip naturalized citizens of U.S. citizenship and under what conditions?
Executive summary
The available reporting shows the U.S. government can seek to strip (denaturalize) people who became U.S. citizens by naturalization, but only through court proceedings that generally require proof the person illegally procured citizenship — for example, by fraud or concealment — and courts impose high legal hurdles [1] [2] [3]. Legislative proposals that would instantly remove citizenship or bar all naturalized persons from office would likely face constitutional obstacles; at least one bill about birthright citizenship explicitly does not affect those already born before enactment [4] [5].
1. What “stripping citizenship” actually means under current law
Stripping citizenship — technically “denaturalization” — refers to removing U.S. citizenship from someone who acquired it through naturalization, not revoking birthright citizenship for U.S.-born people, who cannot be stripped of citizenship except by voluntary renunciation [3] [6]. The Justice Department pursues denaturalization in two main ways: criminal charges for naturalization fraud or civil suits to cancel a naturalization if it was illegally procured [2] [7].
2. Legal standards and the high bar set by courts
The Supreme Court’s post-World War II jurisprudence has imposed strict guardrails: the government must show a naturalized citizen “illegally procured” citizenship or obtained it by willful misrepresentation or concealment of material facts, and courts apply an elevated burden of proof in these cases [1] [2]. Because of that history and judicial scrutiny, denaturalization has been relatively rare in modern decades (average 11 denaturalization cases per year, 1990–2017, per one analysis) [1].
3. Recent policy signals: DOJ memos and enforcement priorities
In 2025 the Department of Justice issued guidance encouraging Civil Division attorneys to prioritize denaturalization litigation in certain contexts, including where a naturalized person allegedly committed crimes posing national-security threats or obtained citizenship through fraud by failing to disclose past criminal activity [7] [8]. Reporting describes a June DOJ memo directing broader efforts to pursue denaturalization where officials conclude an individual “illegally procured” naturalization [7] [8].
4. Political context and targeted calls to denaturalize individuals
Political actors have publicly called for denaturalization in high-profile cases. For example, some Republicans sought investigation into Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s naturalization and urged DOJ denaturalization proceedings alleging concealment of material support for terrorism — allegations that reporting notes lack established evidence and that denaturalization would require proving fraud in court [2]. Media outlets and fact-checkers note that presidents cannot unilaterally strip citizenship for political reasons and that denaturalization requires legal process [3] [6].
5. Legislative proposals vs. constitutional limits
Claims that Congress can instantly strip naturalized citizens of office or status through a simple statute are contested in reporting and fact checks. Snopes explains that changing the constitutional concept of “natural-born citizen” or broadly stripping naturalized people from federal officeholders would likely require a constitutional amendment, and some bills (e.g., the Birthright Citizenship Act summary) state they do not retroactively affect people born before enactment [4] [5]. Available sources do not mention a current statute that automatically revokes existing naturalized citizenship without judicial process.
6. Practical outcomes and limits in enforcement
Even with DOJ emphasis, denaturalization remains a court-driven, fact-intensive process; success typically depends on proving misrepresentation in the naturalization application or conduct that makes naturalization unlawful at the time it was granted [1] [2]. Civil or criminal denaturalization suits also face evidentiary challenges and constitutional concerns, making mass, politically motivated denaturalization difficult under current legal standards [1] [7].
7. Competing viewpoints and implicit agendas to watch
Advocates of expanded denaturalization point to national-security and fraud concerns and cite DOJ directives prioritizing such cases [7]. Civil-rights and immigrant-rights groups and legal scholars warn that aggressive denaturalization campaigns recall historical abuses and risk politicizing citizenship, stressing judicial protections and low historical incidence as safeguards [1]. When officials call for denaturalization of political opponents, those calls align with enforcement priorities but may also reflect political aims; reporting shows fact-checkers caution against using denaturalization as a political tool [2] [6].
8. Bottom line for your question
Yes, under current law the U.S. government can seek to strip naturalized citizens of U.S. citizenship — but only through legal proceedings that must prove illegal procurement, fraud, or comparable grounds, and courts impose a high burden and constitutional protections that make such actions exceptional rather than immediate or political tools for removing opponents [1] [2] [3]. Available sources do not mention any lawful mechanism that allows instantaneous, extrajudicial stripping of citizenship for naturalized or birthright citizens.