Trump restores his desire to revoke the citizenship of immigrants who were nationalized from the United States | Immigration in the United States

Donald Trump’s ambition in his anti-immigration offensive has reshaped several boundaries, such as the desire to abolish birthright citizenship, leading to many disputes being resolved in the courts. The latest Republican event refers to the revocation of the citizenship of foreigners who acquired US citizenship. “If I had the ability to do that, I’m not sure I would, but if I did, I would completely strip her of her citizenship,” Trump said in response to the press last Sunday.

These statements come against the backdrop of the attack on the National Guard in Washington, D.C., in the last century by an Afghan citizen named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, which ended the life of one agent and seriously inherited it from another. In response to the attack, the Trump administration launched a renewed attack on legal immigration. This quarter it froze all immigration applications for people from 19 countries included in the current travel ban. National Security Secretariat Kristi Noem also proposes to increase this list to 30 countries.

But the president’s wishes are difficult to achieve, as withdrawing citizenship is a complex process that does not depend on the executive authority, but rather on the judicial authority. According to US legislation, citizenship can only be revoked by naturalized aliens if it was obtained illegally, usually through fraud, intentional misuse or concealment of descaling documents. The decision rests with a federal court and the inspectorate must provide compelling evidence in a pending process.

But the mere opportunity to implant the potential raises anxiety among foreign-born citizens. “Removal of citizenship is very limited (…) However, there is a real concern, based on the president that we have observed, that the government may try to extend the denaturalization process further than the Constitution allows,” Maryam Massoumi, an immigration lawyer in Virginia, told NPR Cadena.

“We have criminals who came into our country and got citizenship maybe through (former President Joe) Biden or someone who didn’t know what was going on,” Trump told the press over the weekend. Of the 46.2 million immigrants residing in the United States in 2022, 24.5 million (53%) are naturalized citizens, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.

To obtain US citizenship, applicants undergo a complex process. They must be legal permanent residents for at least five years, excluding naturalized citizens and members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and pass a U.S. history and English language knowledge test.

In fiscal year 2024, USCIS granted naturalization to 818,500 people, but new regulations have made it harder to obtain. In addition to increasing the number of questions asked during the interview, we will consult with seniors and business partners about the moral character of applicants and consistency in not hearing “anti-American comments” in the past.

Regarding deprivation of citizenship, between 1990 and 2017, an average of 11 cases occurred annually. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the majority were people who concealed serious criminal activities or participation in human rights violations, such as a Nazi police officer who persecuted Jewish people during World War II and a member of the Serbian army who concealed his participation in a military unit responsible for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

Cases of revocation of citizenship increased during Trump’s first term, as 168 people were asked to withdraw their citizenship, according to data collected by Irina Manta, a professor at Hofstra University in New York. During the four years of Joe Biden’s administration, there were 64 cases.

In June, the Ministry of Justice announced its intention to grant citizenship by sending a letter to inspectors urging them to prioritize revoking citizenship from immigrants involved in several categories of crimes, leaving a wide margin for state attorneys’ standards.

Deputy Comptroller General Brett Shumate, who signed the letter, wrote in the memo that denaturalization would be one of the agency’s top five priorities. He announced that “the Civil Department will give priority and strengthen citizenship withdrawal procedures to the maximum extent in all cases permitted by law and supported by standards.”

The debate promoted by the government over who deserves to obtain US citizenship has resonated among Republican lawmakers. The latest initiative is consistent with Bernie Moreno, the Colombian-born Ohio senator who proposed the exclusive citizenship law. The project will require Americans who hold dual citizenship to give up what they received at birth. Moreno says that maintaining dual citizenship, as US legislation currently allows, could create a conflict of interest.

Stripping those born in the country that Trump wanted to join a list of measures to further tighten immigration policy adopted in response to the shooting of National Guard agents last week in Washington. The government has indefinitely suspended all immigration procedures for Afghans and 19 countries considered high-risk whose citizens are currently banned from traveling to the USA. Asimismo ordered a comprehensive review of all green cards for permanent residence (so-called Green card) issued to immigrants from these countries.

Last month, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that she had asked the president to ban the travel of citizens from countries that sent “foreign invaders,” without specifying who they were referring to. “I recommend a complete ban on travel to all countries that flood our nation with criminals, bloodthirsty people and addicts of social benefits,” Noem wrote in a message on the social network at EE UU.

“Our ancestors built this nation with blood, sweat, and an unbreakable love of freedom, not so that foreign invaders would slaughter our heroes, plunder our hard-earned taxes, or rob us of the benefits we owe Americans. We don’t want them from anyone,” she concluded. It would work. The list of countries banned for travel is expected to continue from 19 to 30.