On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti When can the U.S. government actually revoke citizenship?
Dec 10, 2025
Ahilan Arulanantam, a law professor at UCLA specializing in immigration law, and Irina Manta from Hofstra University join the discussion on denaturalization. They explore how the U.S. government can revoke citizenship, primarily for fraud during naturalization. The professors reveal the rarity of such cases, warn against potential chilling effects on political expression, and discuss the complexities of deportation following denaturalization. They highlight concerns over broader interpretations by the DOJ and the legal limits surrounding mass denaturalizations.
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Denaturalization Is Narrow And Courtbound
- Denaturalization exists but is narrowly limited to fraud or false statements material to naturalization.
- Ordinary crimes committed after naturalization generally cannot strip citizenship, and cases proceed in federal court with high protections.
Denaturalization Is Rare Historically
- Denaturalization cases are extremely rare historically, often numbering in the dozens per year.
- Past cases focused on wartime actors like Nazis, not broad crime-based removals.
Nazi Cases Set Historical Precedent
- Historical denaturalization prosecutions targeted Nazis who lied about their past to enter the U.S.
- Those high‑profile cases show the government's narrow traditional focus.
