On June 11, the U.S. Department of Justice released a significant memorandum, formally institutionalizing the policy of revoking the citizenship of naturalized citizens. This action has sparked widespread attention from various sectors of society.

According to the new rules, if you are not born in the United States and have obtained American citizenship through naturalization, the government may revoke your citizenship if you are involved in certain criminal activities.

Currently, the following 10 types of situations will be prioritized for initiating "denaturalization procedures":

1. Individuals who pose a threat to national security.

2. Those who have committed serious human rights violations.

3. Participants in organized crime.

4. Individuals who fail to disclose significant criminal history (concealing major criminal pasts, including undisclosed felonies, during the naturalization application process).

5. Human traffickers, sex offenders, or perpetrators of violent crimes.

6. Fraudsters targeting federal assistance programs, such as PPP loans, Medicaid/Medicare, etc.

7. Large-scale financial fraudsters targeting individuals or businesses.

8. Individuals who obtained citizenship through bribery or false statements.

9. Cases where the individual is under criminal charges and there is a related need for denaturalization.

10. Other cases deemed important by the Department of Justice.

According to this new memorandum, the Department of Justice is expanding the scope of crimes that could lead to the loss of U.S. citizenship, bringing more types of criminal conduct under consideration for denaturalization.

In recent weeks, at least one individual has already had their U.S. citizenship revoked. On June 13, a judge ordered the revocation of the American citizenship of Elliott Duke.

It is understood that Duke, originally from the UK, later immigrated to the U.S. and served in the military, becoming a veteran. He was convicted for distributing child exploitation material. In court, Duke also admitted to engaging in such activities even before he became a U.S. citizen.

Brett A. Shumate, head of the Civil Division at the Department of Justice, pointed out in the memorandum that the Civil Division will prioritize and fully pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases where permitted by law and supported by sufficient evidence.