Nigerians residing in the United States could be among those impacted as the U.S. government intensifies efforts to revoke citizenship from naturalised Americans, in line with renewed immigration directives tied to former President Donald Trump’s policy agenda.
Officials familiar with the development disclosed that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun reassigning personnel and redeploying immigration specialists across field offices nationwide to aggressively identify potential denaturalisation cases.
Under the expanded initiative, authorities expect between 100 and 200 denaturalisation cases to be generated monthly — a significant increase compared to previous years. During Trump’s first term, 102 denaturalisation cases were filed over a four-year period, according to official data.
Denaturalisation is a legal process through which the U.S. government revokes citizenship previously granted to immigrants, typically on grounds of fraud, misrepresentation, or concealment of criminal history during the naturalisation process.
USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said investigations are launched only where credible evidence of wrongdoing exists.
“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards fraud in the naturalization process and will pursue denaturalization proceedings against any individual who lied or misrepresented facts,” Tragesser stated.
He added that the agency is collaborating closely with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to safeguard the integrity of the immigration system.
Authorities indicated that priority will be given to cases involving alleged national security threats, war crimes, torture, government fraud, and other serious offences.
The renewed citizenship review forms part of a broader immigration enforcement strategy that includes mass deportation operations, visa cancellations, expanded detention capacity, and efforts to deport certain green card holders.
Sources further revealed that the Justice Department has directed its attorneys nationwide to treat denaturalisation cases as a top priority. Trained personnel are reportedly being embedded across more than 80 USCIS field offices to accelerate investigations.
Trump has consistently advocated for a restrictive interpretation of U.S. citizenship and has challenged birthright citizenship — an issue currently before the Supreme Court of the United States.
In a recent post on his Truth Social platform, Trump pledged to remove individuals he described as “not a net asset” to the country, stating that migrants deemed to threaten national stability would face denaturalisation proceedings.
Despite the stepped-up enforcement drive, immigration experts note that citizenship revocation remains rare and is subject to stringent legal safeguards.
Doug Rand, a former senior USCIS official, emphasised that no president has unilateral authority to strip citizenship.
“It’s important for naturalized citizens to understand that stripping citizenship is legally complex and cannot be done at the whim of any administration,” Rand said.
Approximately 800,000 immigrants are naturalised as U.S. citizens each year after meeting requirements including lawful permanent residency, English language proficiency, civic knowledge, and proof of good moral character.
