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Can the US government revoke your citizenship? What to know about denaturalization

Poynter · Maria Ramirez Uribe · last updated

President Donald is threatening to strip people of their U.S. citizenship, including political foes, as his administration works to deport people from the country in mass numbers. On June 12, he said he was considering revoking comedian Rosie O’Donnell of her constitutional citizenship right — something no president can do.

Trump has also threatened to rescind former White House adviser Elon Musk and New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s citizenship. Musk and Mamdani were born outside of the country and received U.S. citizenship through a legal process. The process of stripping them of citizenship is known as denaturalization.

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