The Department of Justice has launched new rules to strictly review naturalized citizens, who may lose their U.S. status

According to Fox News, the Department of Justice issued a memorandum on June 11, formally promoting the institutionalization of the policy of revoking naturalized citizens, requiring federal prosecutors to give priority to naturalized citizen revocation cases involving specific crimes.

Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate pointed out in the memorandum that naturalization cases against “individuals who pose a potential threat to national security, including individuals involved in terrorism, espionage, or the illegal export of sensitive items, technologies, or information that raises national security concerns from the United States” are one of the focuses.

The memorandum also pointed out that the Department of Justice will revoke the U.S. citizenship of any individual who “illegally obtained citizenship” or “concealed material facts or made intentional misrepresentations” during the naturalization process through civil proceedings.

Justice Department prosecutors will have greater discretion to decide when to initiate the revocation process. According to this new memorandum, the Department of Justice is expanding the scope of application to include more types of crimes that may lead to the loss of citizenship.

Shumate said that the Civil Division of the Department of Justice will give priority to and fully promote the revocation of naturalization in all cases permitted by law and supported by sufficient evidence.

Two days after the memo was issued, the Justice Department said it had denaturalized a “convicted collector and distributor of child sexual abuse material.”