The Trump administration is preparing to greatly expand efforts to revoke the citizenship of some naturalized Americans. A report says this move marks a tougher phase of the President’s immigration crackdown.

According to The New York Times, new guidance was sent on Tuesday to field offices of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The directive asks officials to significantly increase the number of denaturalization cases.

The guidance tells offices to “supply Office of Immigration Litigation with 100-200 denaturalization cases per month” during the 2026 fiscal year.

Reports describe this as an unprecedented scale of denaturalization in the United States.

What the Law Allows

US law permits denaturalization only in limited situations. These include cases where a person obtained citizenship through fraud or by deliberately giving false information.

Despite these limits, the scale of the new plan has raised concern among immigration experts and advocacy groups.

USCIS Defends the Move

USCIS officials say the focus is on protecting the integrity of the immigration system.

“It’s no secret that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ war on fraud includes prioritizing those who’ve unlawfully obtained U.S. citizenship — especially under the previous administration,” Matthew J Tragesser, a USCIS spokesman, told The New York Times.

“We will pursue denaturalization proceedings for those individuals lying or misrepresenting themselves during the naturalization process. We look forward to continuing to work with the Department of Justice to restore integrity to America’s immigration system,” he added.

Fears Among Naturalized Citizens

The report warns that a large-scale denaturalization drive could affect people who made small or unintentional mistakes on their citizenship applications.

Critics say the effort could create fear and uncertainty among law-abiding Americans who believed their citizenship status was secure.

The directive comes as Trump has spent much of the year tightening immigration rules. His administration has focused on closing what it sees as loopholes and raising new barriers for people seeking to enter or stay in the country.

Millions Could Feel the Impact

Around 26 million naturalized citizens currently live in the United States, according to the US Census Bureau. USCIS data shows that more than 800,000 people became US citizens last year. Most were born in Mexico, India, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, or Vietnam.

In most denaturalization cases, people lose their US citizenship but return to legal permanent resident status rather than becoming undocumented.

Part of a Broader Policy Push

The guidance issued on Tuesday was part of a larger document outlining USCIS priorities for the 2026 fiscal year, which began in October. Together, these measures signal a more aggressive approach to immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.