Trump says administration may strip naturalized citizens, targets Minnesota Somali community

Time reports President Donald Trump said his administration is looking into stripping some naturalized U.S. citizens of their citizenship, focusing criticism on Minnesota’s Somali community amid investigations into fraud schemes; in an interview with the New York Times conducted Wednesday night he said, “I would do it in a heartbeat if they were dishonest,” and added, “If they deserve to be stripped, I would, yes.” The president did not specify which foreign‑born groups would be targeted or what would constitute deserving denaturalization, and administration officials have previously said they are “looking at” revoking citizenship for people of Somali descent convicted in the fraud cases.

Internal documents reportedly pushed USCIS field offices to supply 100–200 denaturalization cases per month going into 2026, a sharp rise compared with 305 cases filed between 1990 and 2017 (about 11 annually) and the roughly 42 filed per year during Trump’s first term. Immigration lawyers quoted in the report say denaturalization requires proof of fraud or deliberate misrepresentation in the naturalization process—examples cited include a fake marriage, hiding a felony, or using a false name.

Key Topics

Politics, Donald Trump, Minnesota, Somali Community, Denaturalization, Uscis