Sponsors (53)
The bill strengthens and speeds government authority to denaturalize and remove naturalized citizens to protect national security and prevent benefit fraud, but does so by expanding broad grounds and procedures that substantially raise due‑process, fairness, litigation, and community‑stigma risks for immigrants and the courts.
Naturalized immigrants convicted of or admitting to terrorism, espionage, or aggravated felonies (within specified lookback periods) can be stripped of citizenship and removed, which reduces public-safety risks and helps protect the public.
Taxpayers and state governments can recover integrity of benefit programs because naturalized individuals who obtained $10,000+ in public benefits by fraud can lose citizenship, deterring and reducing fraud losses.
DHS, immigration courts, and prosecutors get tools for faster enforcement — including retroactive cancellation of naturalization findings and expedited removal procedures — enabling quicker action after denaturalization determinations.
Naturalized citizens may be stripped of citizenship (and removed) without a new criminal conviction or with lowered procedural protections, creating a high risk of losing citizenship and substantial liberty for affected individuals.
Broadened and partly vague grounds (e.g., loose 'affiliation' standards and expansive 'good moral character' interpretations) increase the risk of unequal, arbitrary, or politically motivated denaturalization targeting, particularly against racial and ethnic minorities.
Retroactive cancellation rules, prima facie presumptions, and expedited removal shift burdens toward the accused and can produce rapid deportations with limited process protections.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Creates presumptions allowing courts to revoke naturalization retroactively for terrorist ties, frauds of $10,000+, or specified serious crimes committed within 10 years after naturalization.
Expands federal civil denaturalization by creating new, mandatory presumptions that certain serious post-naturalization conduct—association with designated foreign terrorist organizations, frauds of $10,000 or more against government programs, or specified aggravated-felonies/espionage—shows the person lacked the required moral character and attachment to the Constitution at the time of naturalization. If those conduct-based presumptions apply within 10 years after naturalization, the law directs courts to void the naturalization certificate retroactively and allows expedited removal proceedings. The bill also includes findings and a stated purpose clarifying Congress’s view of denaturalization law, a fallback shortening the 10-year window to 5 years if a court holds 10 years unconstitutional, and a severability clause so other provisions remain in force if part is struck down. It does not change tax, appropriations, or authorization of new spending in the text provided.
Introduced January 20, 2026 by Thomas Earl Emmer · Last progress January 20, 2026