Leavitt: Trump wants to revoke citizenship of Somali fraudsters
The White House says President Trump wants to pursue denaturalization for members of Minnesota’s Somali community accused in a large, yearslong fraud scheme that has produced dozens of federal indictments. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News the Justice Department is executing search warrants and subpoenas, that denaturalization is being considered, and she answered “absolutely” when asked whether citizenship should be revoked for those convicted. Governance officials have framed the scandal as a push to refocus national debate on immigration ahead of the 2026 midterms and have criticized gov. Tim Walz for alleged inaction.Legal experts note denaturalization is rare, can only be sought through the courts and applies only to naturalized citizens (not those born in the U.S.). Minnesota’s Somali population is roughly 100,000 people, with a large share born in the U.S. and manny immigrants believed to be naturalized. the administration has also deployed DOJ and DHS personnel to Minnesota and paused certain federal funding while investigations continue.
Trump ‘absolutely’ wants to revoke citizenship of Somalis who committed fraud in Minnesota: Leavitt
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Wednesday that President Donald Trump wants to denaturalize members of Minnesota’s Somali community involved in yearslong, billion-dollar fraud schemes.
The scandal, which has already produced dozens of federal indictments in recent weeks, has proven a political godsend for the Trump administration, which is hoping to turn the national conversations away from the economy and back toward immigration heading into the 2026 midterm election cycle.
During a Wednesday morning interview with Fox News, Leavitt said the scandal will be a “top priority” for federal investigators heading into the new year.
“The Department of Justice, as we speak, is continuing to execute search warrants and subpoenas. People will be in handcuffs as a result of the fraud that Governor Walz has allowed to occur there for many, many years,” she said. “We’re also not afraid to use denaturalization.”
Leavitt was asked by Fox News to clarify whether Somalis convicted of fraud should “have their citizenship revoked,” to which she responded, “Absolutely.”
“It’s something the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State is currently looking at right now. It’s something this administration has already done, and we know that there are liberal activist judges across the country who will try to block and tackle this administration from pursuing justice at every turn,” she continued. “But that’s not going to stop the president and his entire cabinet by acting on behalf of law abiding, taxpaying citizens in the state of Minnesota and in states across the country who have been ripped off by people who abused our immigration system, came to our country, do not love our country or respect our values, and now have been ripping off and stealing money from law abiding Americans. This administration is not going to tolerate it.”
Denaturalization, the process by which the federal government revokes citizenship status from former immigrants, is extremely rare and can only be pursued through the judicial system. From 1990 through 2017, the federal government opened an average of just 11 denaturalization cases per year, although the number rose to 25 cases per year during Trump’s first term in office.
Furthermore, the government cannot revoke the citizenship status of citizens who were born in the United States; it can only revoke the citizenship status of immigrants who later became naturalized U.S. citizens. Roughly 100,000 Somalis currently live in Minnesota, with more than half being born on U.S. soil. Nearly 90% of Somali immigrants living in Minnesota are believed to be naturalized citizens.
In the weeks after the fraud cases made national headlines, the Trump administration has taken several steps to implicate Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) in the scandal. Leavitt referred to Walz as “completely incompetent.”
HERE’S HOW DENATURALIZATION WOULD WORK FOR US CITIZENS FROM SOMALIA
Furthermore, the administration has deployed Justice Department and Homeland Security personnel to the state to continue investigations and immigration enforcement actions.
Leavitt said the administration also paused Small Business Administration and Health and Human Services child care funding to the state while the investigations continue.
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