Trump DOJ Memo Strips Citizenship for Civil Offenses

A sweeping June 2025 memo from the Department of Justice directs federal attorneys to aggressively target naturalized immigrants for denaturalization—even for nonviolent or civil offenses—raising alarm across immigrant communities and civil rights circles.

What We Know:

• A new memo issued by Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate on June 11, 2025, outlines 10 categories of denaturalization priorities, instructing DOJ attorneys to “maximally pursue” revoking citizenship from naturalized individuals—far beyond traditional thresholds like terrorism or war crimes.

• The expanded priorities include civil and financial offenses such as PPP loan fraud, Medicaid/Medicare overbilling, and misrepresentation on naturalization forms. Even minor misstatements or undeclared crimes during the citizenship process could lead to revocation under the memo’s guidelines.

• Targets include individuals tied to:

  • National security concerns, including espionage or unlawful tech exports.

  • War crimes, torture, or human rights abuses.

  • Undisclosed felonies or violent crimes.

  • Financial crimes such as healthcare or pandemic relief fraud—even those not previously prosecuted.

  • Fraud against private entities or via government corruption.

• The memo explicitly allows pursuit of denaturalization based on referrals from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, even when pending charges do not meet the stated categories, and reserves power to pursue “any other case” the Civil Division deems important.

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• Legal experts warn this directive creates a slippery slope where civil infractions or nonviolent offenses may now lead to the loss of citizenship—an escalation of Trump-era immigration enforcement tactics that critics argue weaponizes bureaucratic discretion.

• The Department frames the initiative as a move to protect the “integrity of the naturalization system” and public safety—but immigrant advocates argue the vague thresholds and discretionary language will likely result in racial profiling and politically motivated targeting, disproportionately affecting Black and brown immigrants.

• This effort revives the “Denaturalization Section”, originally launched during Trump’s first term, which was later disbanded under the Biden administration after backlash and lawsuits from civil rights groups.

• The memo also aligns with the Trump administration’s broader policy push under executive orders to eliminate sanctuary jurisdictions, target gender-affirming healthcare, and challenge DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) policies—reflecting a sweeping reassertion of Trump’s hardline domestic agenda.

This memo signals a chilling revival of denaturalization as a political weapon—raising fears that citizenship, once considered permanent, is now a conditional privilege under the Trump 47 regime.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated here.