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Jayapal slams Trump's plan to expand denaturalization of citizens
Jayapal warns the proposed expansion could undermine citizenship protections and fuel fear among millions of naturalized Americans.
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Malvika Choudhary - Thu, 18, Dec 2025
- 15:09 EST
- 15
Rep. Pramila Jayapal / Image- X (@RepJayapal)
Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal criticized President Donald Trump’s proposed plan to significantly expand the denaturalization of American citizens, calling it an attack on naturalized citizens and a threat to the foundations of U.S. democracy.
Jayapal, the Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, said the proposal would use the immigration system to intimidate immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.
Also Read: Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I'm fixing it: Trump
“Trump’s plan to denaturalize hundreds of American citizens every single month is outrageous,” Jayapal wrote on X. “Every U.S. citizen should be appalled by this. If he can do this to ‘them,’ he can certainly do it to you.”
Trump's plan to denaturalize hundreds of American citizens every single month is outrageous.
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) December 18, 2025
Every U.S. citizen should be appalled by this. If he can do this to “them,” he can certainly do it to you.
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/3JXIfJ7hFj
Underscoring her own immigration journey and the personal significance of citizenship, Jayapal said, “As a proud naturalized citizen myself, one of only two dozen to serve in the United States Congress and now the top Democrat on the Immigration Subcommittee, I understand the deep meaning and privilege of becoming a U.S. citizen,” she said in her statement.
Jayapal recounted her journey to the United States at the age of 16, detailing 17 years spent maneuvering through various visa categories, and emphasized that her naturalization remains a cherished milestone in her life.
Warning of broader consequences, Jayapal said any large-scale effort to revoke citizenship would harm not only naturalized Americans but the country as a whole. “The idea that our own government would now seek to rip away this sacred bond that binds naturalized citizens to our country will harm all Americans, and indeed, the very idea of America,” she said.
Her remarks come amid reports that the Trump administration is seeking to dramatically increase denaturalization referrals.
This would mark a sharp departure from previous practice. Between 2017 and recent years, the Justice Department filed just over 120 denaturalization cases in total.
Under U.S. law, denaturalization is permitted only in limited circumstances, typically when citizenship was obtained illegally or through fraud or the concealment of material facts, and requires a judicial process with a high burden of proof.
Jayapal said the proposed plan reflects a broader pattern in Trump’s immigration policies. “These arbitrary numerical targets show that he is using the immigration system to go after anyone who disagrees with him, anyone who comes from countries he doesn’t like,” she said, adding that the approach was about intimidation rather than public safety.
Calling on the President to “remember our history,” Jayapal said the immigration debate goes beyond enforcement and borders.
“Ultimately, immigration is about more than just who comes here and who is allowed to stay,” she said. “It is about who we are as a country and what we are willing to stand up for.”
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