The United States Department of Justice has filed court actions seeking to revoke the citizenship of two Nigerian nationals and 38 other naturalised Americans accused of serious offences.
The Justice Department announced the denaturalisation proceedings on Monday, October 5, saying the 40 cases were filed between August 21 and October 2, 2026. It described the filings as the largest number of denaturalisation complaints submitted within a single period under the Trump administration.
One of the Nigerians is Douglas Chukwuka Eze, also known as Anthony Chux Ezehez. According to the Justice Department, Eze was convicted in 2023 of two counts of false swearing in an immigration matter after admitting that he stole another person’s birth certificate in the 1990s and used the identity to obtain immigration benefits. Prosecutors are seeking to revoke his naturalisation on allegations that he concealed material facts and made false statements during his immigration and naturalisation proceedings.
The second Nigerian, 54-year-old Beatrice Chioma Nwaoha Ashamole, is facing a separate denaturalisation case in Maryland. The Justice Department alleges that she failed to disclose previous aliases, arrests, an earlier immigration benefits application, and previous exclusions and deportations during her naturalisation proceedings.
The other 38 individuals targeted in the latest cases include naturalised citizens from several countries who are accused of offences ranging from immigration and marriage fraud to serious violent and sexual crimes, as well as acting as agents of foreign governments. The Justice Department said U.S. law permits citizenship obtained illegally or through concealment of material facts or wilful misrepresentation to be revoked through court proceedings.
Attorney General Todd Blanche described the latest action as a major denaturalisation effort, while the Justice Department said it would continue pursuing cases involving individuals it alleges obtained U.S. citizenship through deception.
The cases remain proceedings seeking denaturalisation, meaning the individuals have not automatically lost their citizenship simply because the complaints were filed.
