Overview

• On June 11 the Justice Department issued a civil division memo directing attorneys to seek revocation of naturalized citizenship for individuals who illegally obtained or misrepresented facts during naturalization.
• The directive instructs DOJ lawyers to prioritize cases involving war crimes, human rights abuses, gang activity or serious fraud as threats to national security.
• Civil denaturalization proceedings carry a lower burden of proof than criminal cases and do not entitle respondents to government-appointed counsel.
• On June 13 a federal judge revoked veteran Elliott Duke’s citizenship under grounds of concealing his criminal past at naturalization.
• Immigration advocates warn the policy endangers about 25 million naturalized Americans and risks creating a tiered citizenship status.