In a nutshell U.S. citizenship affords legal rights to an individual to be included in the “body politics” of America and naturalization is the process that gives foreign born individuals these same rights and inclusion in their new adopted homeland. Naturalization has been the pathway used over and over again in what essentially is an “immigrant” nation. Without naturalization, American just wouldn’t be the same as it is today or historically.
Prior to the 1960s, there was bias as to who could become a naturalized citizen, mostly in favor of whites from western and northern Europe. In 1965, the Immigration and Nationality Act ended de facto discrimination and increased naturalization to include other parts of the world.
American history shows denaturalization has been used as a political weapon like during the McCarthy era from 1947-1957 against suspected communists when some 20,000 Americans were denaturalized. Since then, denaturalization has been rarely used only against alleged spies, war criminals and enemies of the state, people who have lied during the naturalization process or other extreme circumstances.
Fast forward to 2025, Trump through his DOJ wants to “maximally pursue” denaturalization of American citizens potentially beyond extreme circumstances as used previously and possibly use “moral character” loopholes as a way to revoke citizenship. The new DOJ criteria for denaturalization is written broadly with little defined parameters that could be subjectively interpreted, which could be concerning for those who do not fit these previously extreme situations used in the past.
What makes matters worse is that immigration is a civil process and immigration proceedings do not guarantee the right to legal representation (like in criminal proceedings) to argue broad and subjective areas. Those who are subject to deportation or any other immigrant proceedings like denaturalization must hire their own lawyer and often do not have the financial means to do so.
Should denaturalization elevate to how it was used politically during the McCarthy era, we could see Americans afraid to speak their minds should they have dissenting opinions from the Trump administration. Certain groups of naturalized citizens could then become targets under such a climate – journalists, activists, academics, students, labor organizers, artists, writers and politicians. This thwarts freedom of speech and democracy and eventually transforms the country itself to one that some Americans have been fearing even before Trump’s second term – autocratic rule.
Evoking fear among millions of Americans
Trump’s denaturalization threat is yet another tool in his anti-immigrant, xenophobia kit of policies that include his attempt to end birthright citizenship, go after and deport green card holders or lawful permanent residents for past criminal offenses already served, and undocumented migrants who in some cases are going through the process seeking asylum but being deported. Trump even tossed the idea during a recent Florida press conference that citizens born in the U.S. who’ve committed crimes could be deported and something he will be looking into next – “denationalization.”
What Trump is doing is evoking real cutting fear. Americans feel unsafe that they could face deportation – citizens, legal residents and undocumented. This is a far stretch and expansion from Trump’s campaign vow to go after illegal aliens with criminal records.
Now we have millions of families with mixed resident status afraid to step out of their homes, not show up to work or go to church. They’re afraid that a family member will be swept up in ICE raids in public spaces or show up at their home. Businesses are hurting in many immigrant communities. There’s an overall feeling of dehumanization, injustice and helplessness among not just select immigrants but Americans in general who have family and friends with mixed status.
White nationalism
Given who the majority of Trump’s immigration policies are targeting – mostly people of color from Latin American and Asian countries — it’s not a stretch to claim that white nationalism is a part of what’s transpiring. Reports of widespread racial profiling by ICE in mostly minority-majority communities is just one example to support this claim of white nationalism at work.
Immigration Weaponization
Ultimately, what we’re experiencing in America today is the weaponization of our immigration system as a whole in order to maintain a white-majority America. The images and viral videos of minority communities being rounded up are clearly meant to send a message of fear to the countries where these deportees are from. And that message is: “You are not welcomed here!”
If in fact Trump were only interested in deporting hardened undocumented criminals, he would not be expanding his agenda to include ending birthright citizenship, denaturalization, denationalization of Americans born in the U.S. who’ve committed crimes, going after green card holders and legal permanent residents or undocumented who have not committed any crimes. We also see this white nationalist agenda beyond immigration in Trump’s ending of DEI.
Continue to speak out
Immigrant communities and their supporters must continue to speak out, rally together, protest peacefully and fight the legal battles on immigration. What Trump would want is for immigrants to be afraid and be silent. Fear, chaos and confusion are part of the strategy of his immigration agenda.
It’s shocking how far Trump went from wanting to deport illegals with criminal records to denaturalizing and denationalizing Americans with “criminal wrongdoings” — for now! It could get worse.
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