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According to internal directives obtained by The New York Times, the Trump administration is directing the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to refer 100 to 200 cases of naturalization each month.
State of play: The directive, issued on December 17, sets monthly targets for fiscal year 2026, which began in October. This marks a sharp increase as only at least 120 cases were filed from 2017 to this year. According to the Times, USCIS spokesman Matthew J. Tragesser said the agency “prioritises those who obtained U.S. citizenship illegally — particularly under the previous administration.” Research by Hofstra law professor Irina Manta found that President Donald Trump’s first administration filed an average of 42 lawsuits annually, while former President Joe Biden’s average was 16.
So far, the DOJ has filed 13 cases this year and won eight. Earlier this month, Trump told reporters he would “absolutely” strip citizenship from some people, saying some were “naturalized through Biden or somebody who didn’t know what they were doing.” The administration already hinted at this approach in June, when Assistant Atty. Gen. Brett Shumate instructed attorneys to “prefer and pursue to the maximum extent the non-natural process in all cases permitted by law and supported by evidence.”
What it means: This policy poses significant risks to the Asian American community, which represents a large portion of naturalized citizens. In fiscal 2024, which ends in September, India, the Philippines and Vietnam were among the top five countries of origin for 818,500 people becoming citizens. Asian immigrants also naturalize at higher rates than other groups, with 63% holding citizenship in 2023 compared to 52% of all foreign-born residents.
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This makes established Asian communities particularly vulnerable. Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Lebanon, and Iraq each have naturalization rates of 80% or higher among their U.S. immigrant populations.
Big picture: About 24.5 million naturalized citizens live in the US, 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 protections that naturalization provides. Aggressive quotas can create fear even among those who actually follow proper procedures, especially in communities where English-language barriers or complicated paperwork can lead to inadvertent errors during the process.
The push also opposes research into immigrant behavior. In 2023, Stanford researchers found that immigrants were imprisoned 60% less often than native-born Americans. In practice, nonnaturalized persons usually return to legal permanent resident status rather than face deportation.
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Despite the aggressive goals, the denaturalization process is legally challenging, requiring federal court approval.
This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices.
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