The Trump administration has quietly launched a dangerous new plan: mass denaturalization of U.S. citizens who were born abroad.

According to internal guidance obtained by The New York Times, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been told to refer 100–200 denaturalization cases every month in 2026 — a tenfold increase over previous years. These cases would aim to strip U.S. citizenship from people who allegedly made errors or misstatements during the naturalization process — even decades ago.

This is unprecedented, and it's dangerous.

Federal law only allows denaturalization in rare cases, usually involving intentional fraud. But immigration and civil rights experts warn that politically motivated quotas will pressure federal employees to meet targets by flagging anyone they can — including those who made honest mistakes on complicated paperwork or minor omissions long ago.

This isn’t about fraud. It’s about fear.

There are over 26 million naturalized citizens in the United States — many of them parents, veterans, workers, and long-time community members. They followed the rules. They took the oath. They became Americans. They should not live under threat of retroactive punishment or arbitrary review just because they weren’t born here.

We, the undersigned, call on Congress to immediately block this denaturalization campaign by:

• Prohibiting federal agencies from setting numerical targets for revoking citizenship
• Reaffirming that U.S. citizenship is a permanent legal status, not a policy tool
• Investigating the Trump administration’s mass denaturalization plans for abuse of power.

Citizenship is not conditional. It is not revocable by quota. And it must never be wielded as a weapon of fear or division.

Sign this petition to tell Congress: Stop this plan before it tears families apart and undermines the very meaning of being American.

Photo: Charles Krupa/Associated Press