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The DOJ’s New Denaturalization Push, Explained

The Justice Department is stepping up efforts to strip naturalized people who commit certain crimes of their citizenship.
Gil Guerra /
Illustration by Noah Hickey/The Dispatch (Left image by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images; image of Attorney General Pam Bondi by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

On June 11, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a memo instructing federal prosecutors to “prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence.” The directive, signed by Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, elevates citizenship revocation to one of the Civil Division's top five enforcement priorities.

Gil Guerra is a contributing writer at The Dispatch and an immigration policy analyst at the Niskanen Center and the 2024 rising expert in Latin America with Young Professionals in Foreign Policy.

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