WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — The Trump administration has launched a major effort to revoke the U.S. citizenship of 40 naturalized Americans. The Justice Department says the cases involve people who allegedly hid crimes, used false identities, or committed fraud during the immigration process.
Attorney General Todd Blanche called the move the “largest denaturalization effort in modern history.” However, the government must prove its claims in federal court before a person can lose citizenship.
The Justice Department has made denaturalization a key part of its immigration policy under President Donald Trump. The department says the 40 cases involve alleged fraud or serious misconduct linked to the process of becoming a U.S. citizen.
The cases involve people from 20 countries. They range in age from 26 to 76. Nine defendants came from Mexico, while four came from Pakistan, according to the Justice Department.
The allegations vary widely. They include immigration fraud, identity fraud, and fraudulent marriages. Other cases involve concealed deportation orders and undisclosed criminal records. Some defendants also face allegations tied to espionage, financial crimes, manslaughter, and offenses against minors.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the government can seek to revoke naturalized citizenship in federal court. Prosecutors must show that a person obtained citizenship illegally or through concealment or willful misrepresentation of a material fact.
One case involves Jinchao Wei, a Chinese-born former U.S. Navy sailor. A federal court convicted Wei in 2025 of conspiracy to commit espionage, espionage, and illegally exporting technical data linked to defense articles.
The Justice Department says Wei began conspiring to sell military secrets to China before he became a U.S. citizen in May 2022. Prosecutors also say he concealed that conduct during his naturalization process. A court sentenced him to 200 months in prison.
Another case involves Nadia Hassan Mohamed Ali, 58, an Egyptian native. Prosecutors accuse her of using fraudulent H-1B petitions to help a family member remain in the United States. They also allege that she misrepresented her work history and sponsorship information during her own naturalization process.
The department also seeks to revoke the citizenship of Ping Li. Li pleaded guilty in 2024 to acting as an agent of the Chinese government without notifying the Attorney General. Prosecutors say Chinese intelligence officers directed Li to gather information about dissidents and pro-democracy advocates in the United States.
Meanwhile, prosecutors accuse Pakistani native Ahmad Bahar Khattak of using multiple identities to avoid deportation. They say he later used those identities to obtain immigration benefits and citizenship.
Assad Jhon Ramim, an Afghan national, faces similar allegations. Prosecutors say he used another person’s identity for years while seeking immigration benefits. The effort eventually led to U.S. citizenship.
The government also targets Iain Lumsden, a 50-year-old British native. Lumsden pleaded guilty in 2021 to a federal child pornography offense. He received a nine-year prison sentence. The Justice Department says he hid conduct that began before he became a citizen.
The federal government cannot revoke citizenship without meeting legal requirements. In 2017, the Supreme Court ruled in Maslenjak v. United States that a false statement alone does not automatically justify denaturalization.
Instead, the government must show that the illegal act or false statement played a role in obtaining citizenship. Therefore, federal judges must review the evidence and decide whether the government meets the legal standard.
In June 2025, the Justice Department’s Civil Division told attorneys to prioritize denaturalization cases when the law and evidence support them. The guidance highlighted fraud, willful misrepresentation, certain criminal conduct, and national security concerns.
The number of cases has increased sharply under the Trump administration. The Brennan Center for Justice says the federal government filed about 11 denaturalization cases each year from 1990 through 2017.
During Trump’s first term, the average rose to about 25 cases a year. In the first seven months of 2026, the government filed at least 105 lawsuits, according to TRAC, a nonpartisan research group.
That number nearly matches the roughly 125 cases TRAC recorded from 2008 through 2025. The latest 40 cases could push the total even higher.
“Every single one of these individuals lied their way into U.S. citizenship,” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said in a Justice Department release.
Still, the cases must go through the federal courts. As a result, judges will decide whether the government has enough evidence to revoke each person’s naturalized U.S. citizenship.
