USCIS Updates Procedures to Identify Naturalized Citizens for Denaturalization Referral

A new agency policy alert reorganizes how immigration officers detect and escalate denaturalization cases, expanding the administrative reach of a legal mechanism that has historically been used...

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has updated its internal procedures to identify and refer cases in which denaturalization, the revocation of citizenship obtained through naturalization, may be sought. The change, contained in policy alert PA-2026-13, took immediate effect upon publication, according to reporting by La Nacion.

The policy alert reorganizes how USCIS detects, prioritizes, and routes files that could be candidates for denaturalization referral to the Department of Justice. The specific criteria used to flag individual cases under PA-2026-13 were not fully detailed in the agency's public summary, and a full reading of the alert's operational text would be required to determine the precise thresholds applied.

Denaturalization is a legal process governed by 8 U.S.C. Section 1451, which authorizes federal courts to revoke naturalized citizenship when it was obtained through concealment of a material fact, willful misrepresentation, or illegal procurement. The process requires a civil court proceeding initiated by the Department of Justice; USCIS itself does not have authority to strip citizenship unilaterally.

Historically, denaturalization cases have been rare. The Department of Justice's Denaturalization Section, re-established in 2020 under the Trump administration's first term, was created specifically to pursue cases involving fraud, concealed criminal histories, or national security concerns. According to DOJ records cited at the time of the unit's creation, the government had pursued fewer than 20 denaturalization cases per year in the preceding decade.

The USCIS update represents an administrative change on the agency's end of the pipeline, meaning the agency is adjusting how it identifies and forwards potential cases rather than changing the legal standard courts apply. Whether the new procedures will result in a measurable increase in DOJ referrals or court filings is not yet known. Data on referral volumes under PA-2026-13 would be the metric needed to assess that question.

The change applies to naturalized citizens, a population that numbered approximately 24 million as of the most recent American Community Survey data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Naturalization requires applicants to have held lawful permanent resident status for a qualifying period, typically five years, and to pass civics, English, and background checks before a federal officer approves their application.

Immigration law attorneys and advocacy organizations have previously argued that expanding denaturalization enforcement creates a legal distinction between naturalized and native-born citizens, since the latter cannot have citizenship revoked under any current statutory framework. Proponents of stronger enforcement have argued that denaturalization is a necessary corrective tool when fraud or serious criminal conduct is found to have occurred in the naturalization process.

The policy alert follows a period of heightened enforcement activity across the immigration system in 2025 and 2026, including increased use of expedited removal and expanded coordination between USCIS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The specific relationship between PA-2026-13 and any broader enforcement directive from the administration has not been publicly documented by USCIS as of the date of this report.

No congressional legislation authorizing or responding to the procedural change has been introduced as of September 28, 2026, according to the congressional record. Oversight hearings on USCIS administrative policy changes have been held periodically by the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, though no hearing specific to PA-2026-13 has been announced.

The full text of policy alert PA-2026-13 is an internal USCIS document. Its public availability through a Freedom of Information Act request would be the mechanism by which full operational details could be independently reviewed.