Understanding Denaturalization

I saw on social media where “desis” (South Asians) were bragging about voting for Trump and defeating Harris. I can understand when working class non-college educated Hispanics do that — because of sexism or ignorance — but when Indians with advanced postgraduate degrees (1) do so, it is cringeworthy! 

They are obviously unaware that Trump’s “denaturalization” program — if pursued to extreme lengths — could devastate many lives, including those of tens of thousands of first generation Indian Americans!  

The aim is to target criminals (murderers, rapists, drug dealers, child sex offenders) but can they be trusted not to widen the parameters and go after more people, discarding due process and legal norms, and creating a climate of fear?

Stephen Miller, the Gestapo-like senior advisor in the first Trump Administration, is one of the chief architects of denaturalization and other tyrannical policies that are also part of the Project 2025 agenda. He was recently named Deputy Chief of Staff. 

Denaturalization Targets Naturalized Citizens 

Trump will use the most unfair and constitutionally dubious methods in pursuit of his vision of who belongs in the U.S. — and who does not. 

Undocumented and illegal immigrants are not the only ones in danger. Naturalized citizens: i.e., those who pursued citizenship legally and have every right to stay, could also be at risk. (2)

There is yet another category for those born in the U.S. but whose parents are not citizens. They could also have their citizenship revoked if the parents are targeted. (3) 

According to this logic, you are one hundred percent safe only if your parents were born Stateside!  

Note: in Trump’s family, his wife Melania is a naturalized citizen, as are Melania’s father, J.D. Vance’s in-laws, and many members of the House and Senate who are married to or are themselves naturalized citizens, as are Trump acolytes Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Will Skin Color be next?

Trump has spoken of “s-hole countries” and wondered why there aren’t more Nordic or German immigrants; why are they always from poor countries in the geographic south? 

Is it a stretch to speculate that Miller (himself a Jew, historically one of the most discriminated against groups/ faiths) might be working next on categorizing shades of White? (Kidding? Maybe!)

This kind of open racism was prevalent (even routine) a generation ago. Anglo Indians emigrating to Oz from India had to prove — to the Australian Government — how much White ancestry they had! A friend of my parents, a Mrs. Matthews, was told she was “too swarthy” to be accepted into Oz by the consular officer at the Aussie High Commission in Delhi! Her spouse was light-skinned enough to pass muster, not she. Is this the direction in which the U.S. is heading?

Turbocharged Campaign

Miller promises to “turbocharge” denaturalization which  began in the first Trump Administration but did not get much traction. A 2019 budget request by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) intended to review the files of 700,000 citizens. That review petered out when Trump lost the 2020 election, but could come up again.

They are looking for errors on application forms, concealment of facts (deliberate or otherwise), as well as serious fraud and misrepresentation. Police records of crimes committed (from sex trafficking to jaywalking and shoplifting), and membership in the communist party and terrorist organizations will be checked. Note that, once a case is pursued, the success rate for deportation is as high as 95 percent!  

In the past, denaturalization was rare and mostly used against Nazi war criminals — and perpetrators of the Bosnian and Rwandan genocides — living in the U.S. under assumed identities to escape prosecution. Law abiding citizens were never a target. From 1990 to 2016, an average of 11 persons were deported each year. That number went up to 30 per year during the first Trump Administration — so not a whole lot, but that might change; no one really knows!

An Attack on Fairness, Justice, and Equal Rights

It is cruel and inhumane to strip (or threaten to strip) naturalized Americans of their citizenship; it’s an assault on the promise of America and the country’s tenets of fairness, justice, and equal rights. The very concept of citizenship is belittled, while creating — intentionally, no doubt — an atmosphere of unease and a feeling that no one is safe.

Legal immigrants are afraid that trivial errors made on forms completed a long time ago could come back and haunt them. Likewise, permanent residents (Green Card holders) are scared to apply for citizenship in case their applications are subjected to harsher scrutiny. 

Yes, it will take time to change the laws to pursue denaturalization to its nth degree. But, after winning both the House and Senate, there are no obstacles in Trump’s way to drafting more stringent and punitive legislation. A compliant Supreme Court will fall in line. 

Finding the Money to Defray Costs

At the Department of Homeland Security, which is charged with immigration enforcement, officials are prepping for huge changes. The biggest hurdle will be finding the money and appropriating the funds in addition to hiring contractors and acquiring detention space. 

According to ICE figures, the average cost in 2016 to apprehend, detain, process, and remove a single individual was $10,900. Add another $1,978 to transport that person to their home country. Since then, costs are very much higher. 

My Advice

Am I being alarmist? Perhaps, but forewarned is forearmed! After January 20, stay away from concerts, demonstrations, rallies, or any venue where people gather and could potentially be rounded up — the “meat axe” approach — and moved to a detention site! Be careful of traffic stops (broken tail lights, expired driver’s licenses) and over-zealous police. If you think this sounds like Nazi Germany, you’re right; it’s their model!  

Hire a skilled immigration attorney and avoid overseas travel, for now, or at least until there is more clarification about who is, or not, at risk. Note that naturalized citizens returning to the U.S. from foreign countries could be detained at the airport, subjected to relentless questioning, and be barred from entry! There was harassment of returning U.S. residents after 9/11; it could happen again, so beware!

Or maybe — to escape politics — join the Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship which has a four-year round the world voyage with stops at more than 400 destinations.Tempting, but no guarantee that Trump will be gone when the cruise ends; still, it’s an option for temporary relocation! (4)

Ludi Joseph 

New York

November 16, 2024

(1) Snoopy cartoon: “I hate when people confuse education with intelligence. You can have a degree and still be an idiot!”

(2) There may be special dispensation for people who were naturalized more than 30 years ago or married to a citizen who was born in the U.S. 

(3) “Birthright Citizenship" — established by the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — could also be under threat. The 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to a child born in the U.S. regardless of the parents’ immigration status or nationality. Trump wants to curtail this. 

(4) Trump is limited to a single White House term but will he use his not inconsiderable powers to make himself Prez-for-life to avoid a jail sentence, and what about the rest of “dem villains” — will they exit the stage so easily?