The Justice Department filed civil complaints in federal courts Thursday and Friday, seeking to revoke the citizenship of 12 naturalized immigrants accused of obtaining their status through fraud, concealing criminal histories, or demonstrating allegiance to terrorist organizations after naturalization. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said individuals who committed fraud, heinous crimes, or supported terrorism "should never have been naturalized as United States citizens."

The administration has dramatically accelerated denaturalization efforts. Late last year, DHS officials were told to refer over 200 cases per month for citizenship revocation, while DOJ was directed to prepare for nearly 400 cases as an initial wave. This marks a stark departure from historical norms—only 130 denaturalization cases were filed across the entire period from 2017 to July 2025.

Legal scholars see this as an unprecedented coordinated strategy. "The sheer volume in such a compressed time frame is historically unusual and suggests a coordinated, deliberate strategy rather than routine enforcement," said Cassandra Burke Robertson, a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. The cases target individuals accused of war crimes, child sexual abuse, material support for Al-Qaeda, and gun trafficking networks.