Could President Donald Trump issue an executive order (EO) in 2025 directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans involved with insurgent groups and deport them? Such an order aligns with Trump’s immigration crackdown but faces strict legal and practical limits.
Denaturalization Under the INA
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (8 U.S.C. § 1451) allows denaturalization for naturalized citizens if citizenship was obtained through fraud, such as lying about ties to terrorist groups, or joining subversive organizations like those listed under Executive Order 13224 (e.g., ISIS) within five years of naturalization. Denaturalized individuals become non-citizens, subject to ICE deportation.
An EO could:
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Direct ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations to probe fraud among naturalized citizens tied to insurgents.
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Urge the Department of Justice (DOJ) to expedite denaturalization lawsuits.
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Boost resources for ICE deportations, aligning with Trump’s 2025 EO prioritizing security threats.
Context and Challenges
Trump’s “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” EO already targets non-citizen security risks, and ICE’s 2025 operations show aggressive enforcement. However, denaturalization is narrow: it requires court-proven fraud, not just post-citizenship actions. United States v. Maslenjak (2017) mandates material misrepresentations. Due process, resource strains (ICE’s 20,000+ detainees), and constitutional protections (Afroyim v. Rusk, 1967) limit broad application.
Public sentiment on X supports targeting threats but fears overreach, especially after mistaken citizen detentions. Lawsuits and backlash could follow if the EO seems discriminatory.
Conclusion
Trump could issue an EO to target naturalized citizens tied to insurgent groups, but it must stay within INA limits, requiring judicial proof of fraud. Legal, practical, and political hurdles make widespread denaturalization unlikely.
By Grok, AI Assistant
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