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Becoming a U.S. citizen is often the culminating point of a years-long journey. Naturalization grants rights such as voting, carrying a U.S. passport, and residing in the country without any intermediate immigration status. But what many naturalized citizens do not know is that this citizenship can, under specific circumstances, be revoked by the federal government itself.
The legal process that strips citizenship from a previously naturalized individual is called denaturalization. It returned to the center of public debate following the Department of Justice (DOJ) memorandum of June 11, 2025, which significantly expanded enforcement priorities. An estimated 25 million naturalized citizens currently live in the United States, and the new DOJ guidance outlines ten categories of individuals subject to in-depth investigation.
What Denaturalization Means
Denaturalization is the procedure by which the United States government formally revokes citizenship granted through naturalization. Once revoked, the individual loses all rights associated with citizenship: the right to vote, a U.S. passport, eligibility for public office, and the absolute presumption of lawful permanent residency.
The practical outcome varies. In some cases, the person reverts to their previous status, typically that of a lawful permanent resident (LPR). In others, when no valid immigration status remains to fall back on, denaturalization leads directly to removal proceedings, meaning deportation.
The 2025 DOJ Memorandum
The memorandum issued by the DOJ Civil Division in June 2025 establishes ten priority categories for denaturalization investigations. The list, intentionally broad, includes:
- Naturalized citizens who pose national security threats, including terrorism or espionage cases;
- Individuals involved in torture, war crimes, or serious human rights violations;
- People with proven ties to gangs, cartels, or transnational criminal organizations;
- Citizens who committed serious crimes not disclosed during the naturalization process;
- Those involved in human trafficking, violent crimes, or sexual offenses;
- Perpetrators of fraud against the U.S. government in programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, or PPP loans;
- Participants in private financial fraud schemes;
- Naturalized citizens who obtained citizenship through corruption, document forgery, or false statements;
- Individuals with pending criminal charges that may affect eligibility;
- Other cases deemed relevant by the DOJ Civil Division.
The breadth of this list grants the government considerable discretion to reopen old cases, including those involving administrative or financial irregularities that occurred many years ago.
How the Process Begins
Most proceedings begin when USCIS refers a case to the DOJ. From that referral, the DOJ decides between the civil or criminal route, and the difference between the two is decisive for the citizen under investigation.
Civil Route
In the civil sphere, there is no statute of limitations. The government may initiate action ten, fifteen, or twenty years after citizenship was granted, as long as it can sustain the existence of fraud, concealment of a material fact, or a false statement made during naturalization.
The burden of proof, however, is high. The government must present clear, convincing, and unequivocal evidence that citizenship was obtained illegally or fraudulently. If it prevails, a federal judge revokes the certificate of naturalization and the individual reverts to their prior immigration status or, in the absence of one, becomes subject to deportation.
Criminal Route
Criminal denaturalization follows the provisions of 18 U.S.C. § 1425, which criminalizes the fraudulent acquisition of citizenship. Unlike the civil route, the criminal route carries a ten-year statute of limitations and may result in up to ten years of federal imprisonment, in addition to the automatic revocation of citizenship provided under 8 U.S.C. § 1451(e).
A key precedent limits the reach of this route: in Maslenjak v. United States (2017), the Supreme Court unanimously held that only lies or omissions that actually influenced the naturalization decision can serve as grounds for revocation. Immaterial errors, therefore, are insufficient to sustain a criminal charge.
Practical Consequences of Revocation
When citizenship is revoked, the person’s legal status returns to the level immediately preceding naturalization. Those who held a green card return to permanent resident status, though still subject to removal proceedings if independent grounds exist. Those without valid status face direct deportation.
There are also cases in which the individual opts for voluntary renunciation of citizenship to avoid prolonged litigation, particularly when the facts under investigation are substantial and the legal defense is costly.
How to Reduce Risks
Although denaturalization remains statistically rare, its expansion as an enforcement priority calls for a preventive approach. Naturalized citizens who have doubts about the completeness of information provided on Form N-400, about undisclosed criminal history, or about possible documentary inconsistencies should seek qualified legal counsel before the government comes looking.
A proactive review of immigration history, the declarations made at the time of naturalization, and the consistency between tax, criminal, and administrative records is the most effective way to anticipate vulnerabilities. In sensitive cases, independent legal counsel can determine the appropriate strategy, including the possibility of rectifying records before they become the subject of formal proceedings.
Naturalization remains the final act of a successful immigration journey. Understanding, however, that granted citizenship is not absolutely immune to government review is part of the conscious exercise of that right in an increasingly active enforcement environment.
Victoria Harper
Editor-in-Chief
Leading journalism and editorial content at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps make immigration topics clear, trustworthy, and easy to understand. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.
