Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, has strongly criticized the Trump administration’s reported plans to denaturalize U.S. citizens. 

“I am absolutely outraged by the Trump Administration’s plan to denaturalize American citizens by the hundreds every single month and use the immigration system to terrorize immigrants across this country, including US citizens,” Rep. Jayapal said in a statement.

Citing reports, Jayapal noted that between 2017 and the present, just over 120 denaturalization cases have been filed in total. She argued that the administration’s stated numerical targets suggest an expansion of denaturalization efforts that goes beyond established precedent. 

According to Jayapal, these targets indicate the immigration system could be used to target political opponents and individuals from countries the former president has disparaged, including those he has referred to as “shithole” countries.

Trump’s campaign of terror, she said, has never focused on the “worst of the worst,” asserting that the latest proposal underscores that concern. “Every U.S. citizen should be outraged by this. If he can do this to them, he can certainly do it to you,” she added.

Jayapal, a naturalized citizen herself and one of only a few dozen to serve in the U.S. Congress, said her personal experience informs her understanding of the gravity of citizenship. Now the top Democrat on the Immigration Subcommittee, she emphasized the significance and responsibility that comes with naturalization.

“I came to this country when I was 16, alone, and with nothing in my pockets, and spent 17 years on an alphabet soup of visas before becoming a U.S. citizen,” she said. “I treasure that moment to this day and take seriously my oath to this country – as so many millions of naturalized citizens do. The process is lengthy and meaningful, offering the security of knowing I am at home here, never to be separated from my U.S. citizen child and spouse or from the country where l’ve built my life and career.”

She warned that any effort by the federal government to revoke citizenship from naturalized Americans would have far-reaching consequences, not only for those directly affected but for the nation as a whole. Such actions, she argued, undermine the fundamental principles on which the country was built.

“I call on the President to remember our history. We are a country built on the idea of being a refuge for those in need, a country where anyone can work hard and get ahead,” she said, emphasizing that immigration policy reflects broader national values. According to Jayapal, the issue ultimately goes beyond who is allowed to enter or remain in the country and speaks to who Americans are as a nation and what they are willing to defend.

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