Opinion: America’s Denaturalization Drive Should Worry Every Citizen

The denaturalization drive now under way in the United States should worry everyone, not only immigrants. This is an opinion column, and the facts come first.

The Justice Department has filed 40 new cases to strip citizenship. They were lodged between late August and early October. Reporting describes it as the largest denaturalization effort in modern history, according to Al Jazeera.

The accusations include money laundering, child sexual abuse, visa fraud, tax evasion and spying for China. Those targeted come from Mexico, Pakistan, China, Sierra Leone and other countries. Attorney General Todd Blanche says the effort aims to protect national security and the American people.

Why the denaturalization drive matters

Nobody should defend a child abuser or a spy. If those allegations are proved, courts will deal with them. The law already allows prosecutors to seek revocation when a person wilfully concealed a material fact during naturalisation.

But the power has a history. For decades it was reserved for the gravest cases. After the Second World War, it reached people who hid involvement in the Holocaust. A tool built for rare cases is now being used at scale.

Scale changes the risk. Human rights groups warn that stripping citizenship can leave people stateless. Critics say the administration has aimed the tool at political opponents. They cite the targeting of Somali Americans and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

I make no claim about any single case. I make a claim about principle. Citizenship is the right to have rights. A citizen who can be unmade at will holds a lesser status than one who cannot.

Courts must therefore insist on strong evidence in every case. Judges should test the claim of concealment closely. The public should watch whether the cases follow crimes or follow identities.

Free societies protect the unpopular because the rules apply to everyone. Today’s target is a naturalised citizen. Tomorrow’s rule may reach further. That is why this deserves scrutiny now.

Power over citizenship is the most serious power a state holds. It should be used rarely and openly. For a related view on state power, read our column on the Tennessee execution.

Fact basis: Al Jazeera (6 October 2026). Opinion column; allegations are those of the Justice Department and remain unproven in court.