The Take Can Trump strip Musk, Mamdani and others of their US citizenship?
Jul 11, 2025
Heba Gowaye, an Associate Professor of Sociology at CUNY Hunter College and an expert in immigration, dives into the alarming issue of denaturalization threats posed by Donald Trump. She discusses the legal and ethical implications of stripping citizenship from naturalized individuals, including prominent figures like Elon Musk. The conversation highlights historical parallels to past abuses of power, raises concerns about current immigration vulnerabilities, and emphasizes the urgent need for vigilance to protect citizenship rights in a politically charged climate.
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Denaturalization's Legal Limits
- Denaturalization removes citizenship and has historically targeted fraud in applications or political dissenters during McCarthy era.
- Denaturalizing people only based on political views is legally unacceptable but has occurred historically in the US.
Denaturalization as Authoritarian Tool
- Citizenship revocation targets political opponents and minorities, reflecting authoritarianism and white supremacy, not democracy.
- It recalls the 1967 Supreme Court limit and Nazi denaturalization of Jews before the Holocaust.
No Right to Lawyer in Denaturalization
- Immigrants facing denaturalization do not have a right to a lawyer in civil immigration proceedings.
- This lack of legal counsel rights increases vulnerability during denaturalization cases.