Trump admin moves to revoke U.S. citizenship from naturalized Americans
The Trump administration is directing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to refer 100 to 200 denaturalization cases each month, according to internal guidance obtained by...
The Rebel Yellow - Issue #161
The Trump administration is moving to sharply increase efforts to strip U.S. citizenship from some naturalized Americans, instructing immigration officials to refer up to 200 denaturalization cases each month. The push, combined with a new Republican proposal to end dual citizenship altogether, has raised alarms in Asian American communities, which have some of the highest naturalization rates in the country.
Elsewhere, a California city agreed to pay $700,000 to settle anti-Asian discrimination lawsuits brought by two former police officers, leaving a department with no Asian American officers in a city that is nearly 20% Asian. New data also shows most Pacific Islanders who experience racism never report it, even as many say it harms their mental and physical health. Meanwhile, doctors in Northern California are warning of a rising risk of lung cancer among Asian women who have never smoked, while developments abroad — from Finland’s apology over racist gestures to population shifts in Taiwan and South Korea — highlight how race, migration and belonging remain global flashpoints.
Trump admin ramps up efforts to revoke citizenship of foreign-born U.S. citizens: report
The Trump administration is directing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to refer 100 to 200 denaturalization cases each month, according to internal guidance obtained by The New York Times.
State of play: The guidance issued on Dec. 17 sets the monthly targets for fiscal year 2026, which started in October. This marks a sharp escalation as only at least 120 cases were filed from 2017 through this year. As per the Times, USCIS spokesman Matthew J. Tragesser said the agency prioritizes “those who’ve unlawfully obtained U.S. citizenship — especially under the previous administration.” Research by Hofstra law professor Irina Manta found that Trump’s first administration filed 42 cases yearly on average, while Biden’s averaged 16.
So far, the DOJ has filed 13 cases this year and won eight. Earlier this month, Trump told reporters he’d “absolutely” strip citizenship from certain individuals, saying some were “naturalized maybe through Biden or somebody that didn’t know what they were doing.” The administration already signaled this approach in June, when Assistant Atty. Gen. Brett Shumate instructed lawyers to “prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence.”
What this means: The policy poses significant risks for Asian American communities, who represent a substantial share of naturalized citizens. In fiscal 2024 ending in September, India, the Philippines and Vietnam were among the top five countries of origin for the 818,500 people who became citizens. Asian immigrants also naturalize at higher rates than other groups, with 63% holding citizenship compared to 52% across all foreign-born residents in 2023.
This makes established Asian communities especially vulnerable. Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Lebanon and Iraq each have naturalization rates of 80% or higher among their U.S. immigrant populations.
The big picture: About 24.5 million naturalized citizens live in the U.S., representing 53% of the immigrant population. For Asian Americans, many of whom waited years as legal permanent residents before naturalizing, the threat of losing citizenship undermines the security that naturalization is meant to provide. The aggressive quotas could indeed spark fears even among those who followed proper procedures, particularly in communities where English-language barriers or complex paperwork may have led to unintentional errors during the process.
The push also contradicts research on immigrant behavior. In 2023, Stanford researchers found that immigrants face incarceration 60% less often than native-born Americans. In practice, denaturalized individuals generally return to legal permanent resident status rather than face deportation.
Despite the aggressive targets, the denaturalization process remains legally challenging, requiring federal court approval.
GOP senator pushes bill to end dual citizenship
Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno introduced legislation earlier this month that would require Americans to hold only U.S. citizenship, forcing potentially millions to choose between their citizenship and connections to heritage countries.
What you need to know: Under the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, current dual citizens would have 12 months to renounce all foreign citizenships or automatically lose their U.S. status. Anyone acquiring foreign citizenship after the law takes effect would immediately lose American citizenship.
Moreno, who immigrated from Colombia as a child and renounced his birth citizenship when he naturalized at 18, framed the bill as a matter of loyalty. “Being an American citizen is an honor and a privilege — and if you want to be an American, it’s all or nothing,” he said in a statement.
What this means: The legislation would disproportionately affect Asian American communities with deep ties to heritage nations. Korean Americans, for instance, face especially complex circumstances as roughly 250,000 diaspora Koreans globally hold dual citizenship without knowing it. Additionally, American-born men must complete South Korean military service through age 38 under a 2005 nationality law change. Many only discover this obligation in adulthood, creating a difficult choice between renouncing Korean citizenship, which permanently blocks government benefits or permanent residency rights, and serving in an unfamiliar military.
Beyond Korean Americans, Filipino, Indian and Chinese communities would lose legal pathways to own property, run businesses or support relatives in origin countries. For many Asian Americans, dual citizenship represents not divided loyalty but practical necessity in maintaining transnational family and economic networks.
Broader implications: The proposal also faces significant constitutional and financial obstacles. Legal experts note the bill conflicts with two Supreme Court rulings: Afroyim v. Rusk bars Congress from removing citizenship without voluntary renunciation, and Vance v. Terrazas requires the government to prove intent.
A YouGov poll conducted after Moreno introduced his bill shows deep partisan divides. Republicans favor ending dual citizenship 59% to 36%, while Democrats oppose it 64% to 21%, with Americans overall rejecting the restriction 45% to 31%. Interestingly, the bill could even affect First Lady Melania Trump and son Barron, who hold both U.S. and Slovenian citizenships.
California city settles anti-Asian discrimination lawsuits for $700,000
The city of Folsom, California, has paid $700,000 to two former police officers who sued over anti-Asian discrimination and whose departures have left their department without any Asian American officers, despite nearly 20% of city residents being Asian, according to settlement documents obtained by the Sacramento Bee.
