The Take Can Trump strip Musk, Mamdani and others of their US citizenship?
Trump's Threat to Strip Citizenship Sparks Fears of Authoritarianism
President Trump's threat to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans, including high-profile figures like Elon Musk and Zohran Mamdani, marks a dangerous expansion of denaturalization policies.
Historically, denaturalization was used primarily for fraud or during the McCarthy era targeting political dissidents, but now it is being weaponized to remove citizens based on political views or affiliations such as alleged gang membership or financial fraud.
This aggressive strategy threatens over 25 million naturalized citizens and challenges foundational legal protections, undermining due process and potentially creating stateless individuals.
The aggressive DOJ memo signifies a move towards authoritarianism, aiming to exclude those deemed "un-American" to promote a white supremacist vision of nationhood.
This crackdown brings back disturbing precedents like those used in the Nazi era and the McCarthy era, raising alarms about the future of democracy and civil rights in the U.S.
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.