The Department of Justice (DOJ) has laid out new guidelines encouraging its attorneys to seek to strip U.S. citizenship from those who have naturalized if they have committed various crimes.<\/p>\n
The June 11 memo tells attorneys in the Civil Division to move to strip citizenship from immigrants if they pose a threat to national security or gained the status through fraud by failing to acknowledge past crimes.<\/p>\n
But the memo lists a number of other qualifying crimes, adding that attorneys can prioritize denaturalization even for those who are facing \u201cpending criminal charges\u201d that have not yet secured a conviction.<\/p>\n
It recommends denaturalization for those \u201cwho pose a potential danger to national security, including those with a nexus to terrorism\u201d or who \u201ccommitted felonies that were not disclosed during the naturalization process\u201d or otherwise made \u201cmaterial misrepresentations.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also notes the memo is not intended to place any limits on denaturalization efforts, saying its attorneys can also take up \u201cany other cases referred to the Civil Division that the Division determines to be sufficiently important to pursue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe provision is so vague that it would permit the Division to denaturalize for just about anything. It could be something prior to or following naturalization. Given the other priorities discussed in the memo, it could be exercising First Amendment rights or encouraging diversity in hiring, now recast as fraud against the United States. Troublesome journalists who are naturalized citizens? Students? University professors? Infectious disease doctors who try to reveal the truth about epidemics? Lawyers?\u201d Joyce Vance, a law professor and former U.S. attorney appointed by former President Obama, wrote on her blog. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll are now vulnerable to the vagaries of an administration that has shown a preference for deporting people without due process and dealing with questions that come up after the fact and with a dismissive tone.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Trump and other GOP figures have suggested deporting political adversaries.<\/p>\n
Trump on Tuesday said he\u2019ll \u201ctake a look\u201d<\/a> when asked by a reporter if he would deport Elon Musk given his criticism of the president\u2019s \u201cbig, beautiful bill.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. I think we\u2019ll have to take a look. We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn\u2019t that be terrible,\u201d Trump said, referencing the Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk helped to launch.<\/p>\n And after progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for the New York City mayoral race, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) called for stripping the citizenship<\/a> of the Ugandan-born nominee.<\/p>\n