For a nation built on the backs of immigrants, the United States has the worst possible reputation when it comes to citizenship and its subsequent processes. Now, more than ever, non-American born residents of the country are forced to remain on high alert with regards to their citizenship status. One can only assume that the timing of these policy changes are absolutely as a result of the Republican Party coming into power after the recent elections.
Stay on high alert as your citizenship could be lost or renounced
With President Donald Trump’s re-election to office, it is no hidden fact that attaining citizenship in this country will now become near impossible — whether through naturalization or even if you follow every single step of the process to a T.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has outlined a list of reasons that could cause you to lose or renounce your citizenship.
Let’s first define citizenship and how to obtain it
Citizenship is a bond to join people of a region together. Citizenship in the United State’s means a bond linking people through civic ideals, belief in the rights and freedoms guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. Suffrage, tax benefits and the freedom of travel are all included in these rights.
There are various ways to obtain citizenship in the U.S., namely, naturalization and acquisition. Naturalization occurs when a foreigner who was not born in the United States voluntarily chooses to become a citizen of the U.S.
Acquisition occurs through American parents at birth and another after birth but before you become an adult i.e. turn 18.
Is naturalization as simple as it sounds?
The process of naturalization, despite its pleasant sounding name, is a long and drawn out one. For naturalization to even be considered, on average, an immigrant must have an absolute minimum of 5 years as a permanent resident to be able to apply for citizenship. As per official data released by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a total of 818,500 people obtained citizenship during naturalization ceremonies held in the United States and around the world in the fiscal year of 2024.
Though allegedly rare, this benefit can be revoked if certain rules are broken. Between 2008 and 2020, the Department of Justice filed 228 civil denaturalization cases. Of these 228 cases, 91 (or 41%) were filed during Donald Trump’s first term. With his present re-election, it would not be out of bounds to assume we will see an uptick in such cases in the near future. El Comercio has noted that these cases are rare and can only occur in federal courts (the Denaturalization Section created in 2020, which is part of the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, can file these proceedings).
How can I lose my nationality and what are the repercussions?
As mentioned above, denaturalization can only occur in federal courts as a result of various reasons. Some of the reasons for denaturalization are listed below:
- Running for public office in a foreign country (under certain conditions).
- Entering military service in a foreign country (under certain conditions).
- Applying for citizenship in a foreign country with the intention of renouncing U.S. citizenship.
- Committing an act of treason against the United States.
- Committing certain crimes , such as terrorism and sexual assault.
- To be dishonorably discharged from military service in time of war.
- Having obtained naturalization illegally : discovery that a person did not meet one of the requirements for naturalization.
- Having deceived and concealed facts to obtain naturalization.
Loss of nationality occurs in rare cases and as a result:
- You no longer have rights and responsibilities as an American citizen.
- You must acquire citizenship of another nation or risk becoming “stateless” (a person without nationality).
- You may need a visa to return to the United States.