By Prime Path Immigration Law Firm Limited USA, on Immigration Updates
Naturalized U.S. citizens are experiencing heightened anxiety about their legal status under the Trump administration's immigration policies. Dauda Sesay, who fled civil war in Sierra Leone and became a naturalized citizen over a decade ago, exemplifies the shift in sentiment among immigrants who believed naturalization would provide secure protection and full membership in American society. While there has been no documented uptick in denaturalization’s, naturalized citizens are now fearful of traveling, concerned about detention by immigration agents, and worried about potential loss of citizenship, a concern amplified by the Justice Department's summer memo signaling increased efforts to denaturalize immigrants with criminal histories or deemed security risks.
Citizenship's definition and scope have fluctuated throughout American history based on political decisions and racial restrictions, from the 1790 naturalization law limiting citizenship to "free white persons" to the 1924 Immigration Act that barred Asians from naturalization. Legal scholar Stephen Kantrowitz notes that citizenship itself remains undefined in the Constitution, and American history demonstrates that political power can unilaterally strip citizenship from groups deemed undeserving. The current atmosphere of fear among naturalized citizens reflects a fundamental breach of the implicit promise that naturalization would provide lasting security and belonging in the United States.
For more information on this, and other immigration matters, contact the attorneys at Prime Path Immigration Law Firm Limited USA today.
Reference:
Deepti Hajela, Naturalized US Citizens Thought They Were Safe. Trump's Immigration Policies Are Shaking That Belief, AP NEWS (Nov. 15, 2025), https://apnews.com/.
