Trump Admin Opens Door To Yanking Citizenship As Part Of ‘War On Fraud’

The Trump administration will begin efforts to denaturalize certain foreign-born individuals with United States citizenship over fraud concerns — marking a massive expansion of the federal government’s immigration crackdown.

Personnel at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) were issued new guidance on Tuesday to “supply Office of Immigration Litigation with 100-200 denaturalization cases per month,” according to The New York Times.

“It’s no secret that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ war on fraud includes prioritizing those who’ve unlawfully obtained U.S. citizenship — especially under the previous administration,” USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser said in a statement.

“We will pursue denaturalization proceedings for those individuals lying or misrepresenting themselves during the naturalization process. We look forward to continuing to work with the Department of Justice to restore integrity to America’s immigration system,” he said.

Since 2017, more than 120 such cases have been filed, according to The New York Times, citing Department of Justice data.

The effort comes as President Donald Trump pushes accusations that Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar entered into a fraudulent marriage with her brother in order to obtain American citizenship.

Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan said last week that the Trump administration is investigating Omar for immigration fraud.

Omar responded, saying administration officials are “sick” and that they would not find anything.

Omar, who was born in Somalia, came to the United States in 1995 after her family was given asylum, according to Fox News. In 2000, she became a naturalized citizen.

Omar had a religious marriage with Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi in 2002. Despite that, she entered into a legal marriage with British national Ahmed Elmi while she continued having children with Hirsi, Fox News reported.

Omar and Elmi reportedly separated in 2011 and formally divorced in 2017. She then married political consultant Tim Mynett in 2020.

It is not clear if Omar will be the subject of USCIS’s new campaign of scrutiny.

If she’s found to have committed the alleged fraud, Omar could face up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and deportation, Fox reported. She may also face charges in Minnesota for allegedly violating the state’s incest laws, which could result in a 10-year prison sentence.

In another recent example, the federal government stripped Salvadoran-born immigrant Jorge Antonio Graciano Lara of his United States citizenship, which he obtained by lying about his criminal past as a child sex offender.

Between 2012 and 2016, Graciano Lara raped his stepdaughter, who was younger than 14 years old at the time, on “several occasions” at their home in Montgomery County, Maryland, while the child’s mother was at work, according to court documents. In 2015, he received his citizenship by lying about his crimes on his naturalization application and in an interview with a federal official.