Justice Department Files 40 Citizenship Revocation Suits as Judge Faults ICE Records

The Justice Department filed civil suits to strip citizenship from 40 naturalized Americans, a move Attorney General Todd Blanche described as the largest such campaign in recent times. The complaints, filed in 19 federal districts between late August and early October, involve defendants from 21 countries and include national-security and criminal-history allegations. In a separate case, a federal judge in Brooklyn found that ICE agents unlawfully arrested two men, one a U.S. citizen, and falsified records to conceal the actions.

The complaints were lodged across 19 judicial districts from late August to early October and name people from 21 nations. Two allege national-security concerns; the remainder center on concealed criminal records or prior identities, including offenses involving minors, manslaughter, narcotics, and marriage fraud. All remain at the complaint stage.

Historical figures show a sharp increase: about 305 denaturalization cases occurred from 1990 through 2018, while at least 105 were filed in the first seven months of 2026. Separately, a Brooklyn federal judge found ICE agents unlawfully arrested two men, one a U.S. citizen, and altered records to obscure that conduct.