The Trump administration announced Monday that it is seeking to revoke the citizenship of 17 naturalized Americans convicted of serious crimes. Federal officials describe move as the largest denaturalization effort ever undertaken by the US government.

The Department of Justice said the individuals targeted in the action were convicted of offenses including sexual abuse of minors, fraud, drug trafficking-related crimes and identity misrepresentation.

Federal law allows the government to revoke citizenship under the Immigration and Nationality Act when naturalization was obtained through concealment of criminal conduct or other material misrepresentations.

The Justice Department said the cases involve individuals who allegedly secured citizenship while hiding information that would have disqualified them from the naturalization process.

“American citizenship is a privilege, and it must be earned honestly,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement.

“If you come here break our laws, and lie in your immigration proceedings, you forfeit that privilege,” Mullin added.

According to the Justice Department, the federal government pursued an average of 11 denaturalization cases annually between 1990 and 2017, with many not resulting in citizenship being revoked.

As part of the new initiative, US Citizenship and Immigration Services field offices have been directed to provide the Office of Immigration Litigation with between 100 and 200 potential denaturalization cases each month throughout 2026.

The administration has increasingly emphasized denaturalization as part of its broader immigration enforcement agenda.

Federal officials said the 17 cases announced Monday involve convictions for healthcare fraud, bank fraud, drug-related offenses, sexual abuse of minors and identity fraud.

According to the Justice Department, one individual from Haiti was convicted of sexually abusing his minor daughter. Another individual, identified as an ordained Roman Catholic priest, was convicted of sexually abusing and grooming a minor.

Officials also cited the case of a Jamaican national convicted in a stock manipulation scheme that allegedly generated more than $54 million in artificially inflated investments.

Another individual from the Dominican Republic was convicted of conspiring to distribute more than $1.7 million in prescription wholesale drugs without a license.

“Criminal aliens are lying about their past crimes, including drug dealers, sexual predators, and fraudsters,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

“Gaining U.S. citizenship is a privilege and under the steadfast leadership of President Trump, this Department of Justice maintains a zero-tolerance policy for the abuse of this process,” Blanche added.

“We continue to work around the clock with our interagency partners to make sure U.S. citizenship is granted to those who truly deserve it.”

The Justice Department said the individuals targeted in the latest actions originally came from Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, Mexico, Yugoslavia, Jamaica, India, the Dominican Republic, Somalia, the People’s Republic of China, Congo, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Philippines.

The administration has already pursued similar actions this year. In May, the Justice Department was working to denaturalize 12 individuals accused of offenses including war crimes, sexual abuse of a minor and providing material support for terrorism.

Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said the effort is intended to protect the integrity of the citizenship process.

“Anyone thinking they can defraud the naturalization process should think again,” Shumate said.

“We will continue to pursue anyone who unlawfully or fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship.”