Oversight Project Applauds Justice Department for Denaturalization Enforcement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2026
Washington, D.C.– The Oversight Project applauds the Department of Justice for prioritizing the broken naturalization system and pursuing denaturalization proceedings against 12 individuals who support terrorism, war crimes, and sexual abuse of minors. This action from the DOJ is a step in the right direction to prioritize fixing a broken naturalization process.
In January 2025, the Oversight Project endorsed Senator Eric Schmitt’s Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act, which seeks to strengthen integrity and accountability within the immigration and naturalization process. The U.S. Government should adequately evaluate applicants for citizenship, including their commitment to assimilating into American society, demonstrating good moral character, and faithfully upholding true allegiance to the United States and its Constitution.
These individuals, who will be denaturalized, are from Somalia, Iraq, Uzbekistan, India, and China, to name a few. They deserve to be denaturalized because it is evident that their allegiance is not to the United States, they lack good moral character, and they are frauds. This kind of person should not be a U.S. citizen.
The Department of Justice’s actions represent an important step toward building confidence in the immigration system and ensuring that U.S. citizenship is reserved for those who respect American laws, its institutions, and its values. This is part of a whole-of-government approach whereby President Trump can fulfill his core campaign promise of mass deportation.
Oversight Project President Mike Howell gave this statement:
“There are millions of paper citizens in the United States who have cheated a broken system. I’m thrilled that the Department of Justice is making this a priority. Being an American is something way more than memorizing a few answers, filling out some forms, waiting, and then reaping the rewards of the great benefit of U.S. citizenship. Just look around and see the lack of English speaking, zero patriotism, and iron-fisted grips on foreign traditions and customs as opposed to actual assimilation and allegiance. The problem is as clear as day. There are even fake citizen Members of Congress now. It is time to fix this because it’s embarrassing and America is better than letting millions of foreigners take advantage of our great Nation. The Oversight Project is for Americans and not foreigners.”
Oversight Project Visiting Fellow for Deportation Studies Scott Mechkowski gave this statement:
“The Trump Administrator and the Department of Justice are cracking down on people who try to cheat their way into citizenship. Citizenship is a privilege, not something you can just steal. The DOJ is sending a strong message: we’re not going to tolerate fraud anymore, and we’ll take action against anyone who tries it. This is about protecting what American citizenship really means and making sure it’s only given to those who truly deserve it. Anyone that is found to have committed fraud should be arrested and put into removal proceedings and deported immediately!”
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