The Trump administration is auditing immigration cases involving U.S. citizens of Somali origin to uncover potential fraud that might be grounds for revoking their citizenship, known as denaturalization.
“Under U.S. law, if an individual procures citizenship on a fraudulent basis, that is grounds for denaturalization,” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement reported by Fox News then shared by the White House on social media.
Such denaturalization actions are rare, and the process often lasts years. Data from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center show an average of about 11 cases pursued annually between 1990 and 2017.