The Daily Fuckup

The Justice Department said on June 8 that it filed denaturalization actions in federal courts against 17 naturalized U.S. citizens accused of serious offenses, including sexual abuse of a minor, wire and bank fraud, and distributing drugs wholesale without a license. The department said citizenship may be revoked under the Immigration and Nationality Act if it was illegally procured or obtained through concealment of a material fact or willful misrepresentation. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-moves-strip-us-citizenship-17-naturalized-sex-offenders-fraudsters-drug))

The filing is not the same thing as a final judgment. The people named in the complaints are still citizens unless and until a court orders otherwise, and the allegations have to be proved in court under the usual legal process. DOJ’s announcement described the actions as part of its civil denaturalization work and quoted officials saying the department would continue to pursue people it says unlawfully obtained citizenship. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-moves-strip-us-citizenship-17-naturalized-sex-offenders-fraudsters-drug))

The individual complaints cover a range of alleged conduct. In the press release, DOJ said some defendants were accused of hiding prior criminal conduct during the naturalization process, while others were said to have used false statements or concealment to obtain immigration benefits before later being convicted or charged in related cases. The department listed 17 cases in all, filed in various U.S. district courts. ([justice.gov](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-moves-strip-us-citizenship-17-naturalized-sex-offenders-fraudsters-drug))

The announcement also fits a broader enforcement pattern: the department has been using denaturalization more visibly this year, with a separate round of actions announced in May. That does not change the basic legal point here, though. These cases are allegations, not completed revocations, and citizenship remains in place unless a court rules otherwise. ([jurist.org](https://www.jurist.org/news/2026/06/doj-announces-plans-to-revoke-citizenship-from-17-naturalized-citizens/?utm_source=openai))