Nigerians who made fraudulent naturalisation applications will be stripped of their citizenship of the United States (US).
This has caused a period of heightened uncertainty as the Trump administration launches a massive expansion of its programme to strip naturalised citizens of their American nationality.
Under the new directive, any “misrepresentation” or “fraud” identified in past applications, no matter how historical could be grounds for a federal lawsuit to revoke citizenship.
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While previous administrations reserved this option for war criminals and terrorists, the current White House has widened the net to include those who undermine domestic tranquillity.
Between 2019 to 2023 alone, as many as 47,819 Nigerians were sworn in as naturalised citizens according to a US Naturalisations Annual Flow Report by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shows.
The report, updated in August 2025 and compiled by the Office of Homeland Security Statistics, draws its figures from Form N-400, the application every would-be American citizen submits.
However, in a move that marks a radical departure from long-standing legal norms, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is redeploying specialist staff to more than 80 field offices. The objective is to identify and litigate between 100 and 200 denaturalisation cases every month, a staggering increase compared to the 102 cases filed during the entirety of Donald Trump’s first four-year term.
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Impact on the Nigerian diaspora
For Nigeria, which consistently ranks as one of the top African countries for emigration to the US, the policy shift creates a new layer of vulnerability for its diaspora. The country naturalised Nigerians which includes thousands of high-achieving professionals in medicine, technology, and academia.
Matthew Tragesser, USCIS spokesman, confirmed the agency has adopted a “zero-tolerance” policy regarding the naturalisation process.
“We will continue to relentlessly pursue those undermining the integrity of America’s immigration system,” Tragesser stated. “We are working alongside the Department of Justice to ensure that only those who meet citizenship standards retain the privilege.”
President Trump further escalated the rhetoric in a post on Truth Social, vowing to remove any naturalised individual who is not a “net asset” to the country. This vague terminology has sparked fears among Nigerian community leaders that the policy could be used as a tool for political or social profiling.
Read also:US revokes over 100,000 visas since Trump’s return to White House
A perfect storm for dual citizens
The expansion of denaturalisation is just one component of a broader hostile environment policy being implemented by the DHS. For Nigerians in the US, this includes:
Visa revocations: More aggressive monitoring of student and work visas.
Green card scrutiny: Increased efforts to deport permanent residents for minor infractions.
Birthright challenges: A looming Supreme Court battle regarding the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to children born on U.S. soil.
Despite the aggressive posturing, stripping citizenship remains a complex judicial process. Unlike a standard deportation, denaturalisation usually requires a trial in a federal court.
“It is vital for naturalised US citizens to know that no president can unilaterally strip people of the citizenship they have worked so hard to earn,” said Doug Rand, a former USCIS official.
However, for many Nigerians, the cost of defending such a case in federal court which can run into tens of thousands of dollars may prove a barrier to justice, effectively forcing voluntary departures even in cases where the government’s evidence is weak.
