TRAC Data Shows 4,000% Surge in Denaturalization Lawsuits in 2026

(UNITED STATES) — The Trump administration sharply expanded denaturalization lawsuits in recent weeks, with a new TRAC report released on June 17, 2026 showing at least 15 civil denaturalization complaints filed in May and 18 more in the first half of June.

Those filings mark a steep break from past practice. TRAC said the United States historically averaged fewer than one case per month, or about 11 per year between 1990 and 2017. If the current pace holds, the increase reaches roughly 4,000%.

Federal officials cast the campaign as a zero-tolerance defense of citizenship integrity. The cases follow public announcements by the Department of Justice and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that the government would step up efforts to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans accused of fraud, concealment or serious crimes.

On June 12, 2026, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said, “American citizenship is a privilege, and it must be earned honestly. If you come here, break our laws, and lie in your immigration proceedings, you forfeit that privilege. DHS will not stand idly by while Americans are harmed by criminals including sex offenders, perpetrators of fraud, and drug traffickers who have exploited our generosity and gamed our immigration system. We will continue to use every lawful avenue to denaturalize and remove aliens.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche used similar language in a June 8, 2026 statement. “When criminal aliens exploit the naturalization process by breaking the law, there are consequences. Gaining U.S. citizenship is a privilege and under the steadfast leadership of President Trump, this Department of Justice maintains a zero-tolerance policy for the abuse of this process. We continue to work around the clock with our interagency partners to make sure U.S. citizenship is granted to those who truly deserve it.”

Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, who leads the Civil Division, said on May 8, 2026, “This Department of Justice continues to file denaturalization actions at record speeds to restore integrity in our naturalization process. We remain committed to leveraging every tool available under the law to pursue those who obtain their U.S. citizenship unlawfully.”

The recent court activity tracks a broader policy change that began last year. A Justice Department Civil Division memo dated June 11, 2025 told federal attorneys to “prioritize and maximally pursue” denaturalization proceedings, pushing a remedy once used sparingly into a central enforcement tool of the Trump administration.

That memo also widened the pool of cases. Early public statements focused on people accused of terrorism, war crimes, sexual abuse, drug trafficking and fraud, but the 2025 directive included “any other cases. that the Division determines to be sufficiently important.”

Reports have also pointed to internal targets of 100 to 200 cases per month for the rest of fiscal year 2026. Those figures were described as reported targets rather than formal public quotas, but they align with the jump that TRAC counted in federal court filings during May and June.

The Justice Department announced denaturalization actions against 12 individuals on May 8/14, 2026. Those cases involved allegations of concealed terrorist support, war crimes and espionage. The government announced another round on June 8/12, 2026, this time against 17 individuals accused of conduct including sexual abuse of a minor, wire fraud and drug trafficking.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the government can revoke citizenship if officials prove it was “illegally procured” or obtained through “concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.” Denaturalization lawsuits are civil cases, but the consequences run far beyond civil court. Once a federal judge revokes citizenship and cancels a certificate of naturalization, the person returns to a prior immigration status, often lawful permanent resident, and the government can then seek removal.

Several of the names highlighted in official releases show how the administration is presenting these cases. Ali Yousif Ahmed Al-Nouri of Iraq was targeted in May 2026 on allegations that he concealed his role as an Al-Qaeda leader and the murder of two Iraqi police officers in 2006. Leidys Delmas Garcia of Cuba was targeted in June 2026 after a conviction for conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Oscar Alberto Pelaez of Colombia, a priest, was accused of concealing past sexual abuse of a child during his naturalization process.

The increase in denaturalization lawsuits carries legal and political weight because citizenship has long stood on firmer ground than visas or green cards. Naturalization usually closes an immigration case. These suits reopen it, sometimes years later, by arguing that citizenship never lawfully vested in the first place because the original application rested on fraud or hidden facts.

Government agencies have directed the public to several official records as the effort expands. USCIS published a [June 12, 2026 newsroom release](https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/justice-department-moves-to-strip-us-citizenship-from-17-naturalized-sex-offenders-fraudsters-drug) titled “Justice Department Moves to Strip U.S. Citizenship from 17 Individuals.” The Justice Department posted a [May 8, 2026 press release](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-moves-denaturalize-12-individuals-concealing-terrorist-support-war-crimes) on actions against 12 individuals accused of concealing terrorist support and war crimes. USCIS also maintains a [Policy Manual section on revocation of naturalization](https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-12-part-l) that outlines the legal process.

Those records show a government effort moving on two tracks at once: public messaging built around a zero-tolerance standard, and litigation activity that has risen far above the historical norm. With at least 33 civil denaturalization complaints filed across May and the first half of June, the Trump administration has turned denaturalization lawsuits from a rare federal action into one of the clearest immigration enforcement drives of 2026.