Top 5 things you need to know about denaturalization
- Denaturalization is the legal process of revoking a person's citizenship because they obtained it through fraud, hiding criminal activity, or lying during the naturalization process—it does not apply to natural-born citizens.
- The Department of Justice has dramatically increased denaturalization cases under Operation Janus, targeting individuals who hid war crimes, terrorist ties, or immigration violations before becoming citizens.
- Once denaturalized, a person becomes a non-citizen again and can face immediate deportation proceedings, often without the right to appeal their removal from the United States.
- Even minor lies on citizenship applications, such as using a false name or omitting a prior arrest, can be grounds for denaturalization decades after citizenship was granted.
- The burden of proof is on the government to show by "clear, unequivocal, and convincing evidence" that fraud occurred—not just a preponderance of evidence, making these cases legally challenging to win.