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July 17, 2026
GWP IMMIGRATION LAW
You Received a Denaturalization Investigation Letter From USCIS or DOJ: What Should You Do Now?
Confirm what type of notice it is, calendar any deadline it sets, and speak with an attorney before responding to anyone.
A practical, step-by-step answer to what that notice means, and what to do in the days right after it arrives.
Denaturalization referrals are no longer a rare event. Since June 2025, the Department of Justice’s Civil Division has directed its attorneys to pursue denaturalization in every case the evidence supports.
Updated July 17, 2026 · GWP Law · Las Vegas, NVTHE CONTEXT
What Kind of Letter Did You Actually Receive?
It’s likely a USCIS request for evidence, a DOJ civil complaint, or, rarely, a criminal target letter.
USCIS cannot revoke your citizenship on its own. It can only investigate your naturalization file and refer the case to the Department of Justice, as set out in the USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 12, Part L, Chapter 1.
From there, a case becomes one of two things: a civil lawsuit filed by a U.S. Attorney in federal district court under 8 U.S.C. § 1451(a), or, far less often, a criminal prosecution under 18 U.S.C. § 1425.
The letter you hold tells you which stage you’re in. A USCIS notice or request for evidence means your file is still under agency review, before any referral has happened.
A summons and civil complaint means DOJ has already filed suit, and a deadline is already running.
These reviews are usually triggered by a routine file audit, a fingerprint or biometric mismatch surfaced through programs like Operation Janus, a tip from another agency, or a discrepancy flagged during an unrelated filing such as a passport renewal or a family petition.
Since February 2020, DOJ has had a section dedicated solely to denaturalization cases. On June 11, 2025, the Civil Division’s leadership went further, directing staff to “prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence.”
That June 2025 memo lists ten categories of priority cases. They range from national security threats and war crimes to fraud offenses far removed from the extreme cases that usually make headlines.
The two legal grounds that can put a naturalized citizen’s file under this kind of review — illegal procurement and willful misrepresentation — are covered in our earlier guide on the reasons you could lose your U.S. citizenship. This post picks up where that one left off: what to do once the letter is already in your hands.
Source: 8 U.S.C. § 1451(b); Maslenjak v. United States, 582 U.S. 335 (2017).
A REAL CASE
A Notice That Wasn’t What It Looked Like
A woman called me after a letter arrived from USCIS referencing her naturalization file from years earlier.
She had already started drafting a written response on her own, worried that staying silent would look like guilt.
I reviewed the letter first. It was a request for evidence, not a civil complaint — no answer deadline had started, and DOJ had not been involved.
I requested her complete file before responding to anything, and confirmed exactly which naturalization requirement USCIS believed was at issue.
Her file was closed at the agency level months later, with no referral to DOJ.
What to Do in the First 30 Days
Source: 8 CFR § 103.2(b); 8 U.S.C. § 1451(a)-(b); 18 U.S.C. § 1425.
THE PATH FORWARD
What Happens After You Respond?
The case proceeds under the government’s high burden of proof, civil or criminal, with real defenses available.
A civil case carries no statute of limitations. DOJ can file suit decades after naturalization, and under 8 CFR Part 340 the government must still prove its case by clear, convincing, and unequivocal evidence.
A criminal case under 18 U.S.C. § 1425 carries a ten-year limitations period running from the date of the offense, set by 18 U.S.C. § 3291, and the government must prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Either way, the Supreme Court’s decision in Maslenjak v. United States narrowed what counts as a disqualifying lie: a false statement must have actually influenced the naturalization decision, not merely occurred somewhere in the process.
If citizenship is ultimately revoked, you revert to your prior immigration status as of your original naturalization date, which can lead directly into removal proceedings — see our deportation defense page for what that stage involves.
If a spouse or child derived citizenship through your naturalization, the effect on them turns on the ground alleged. A revocation for willful misrepresentation extends to them automatically under 8 U.S.C. § 1451(d), while a revocation for illegal procurement alone generally requires a separate proceeding against each family member.
A complete, well-documented answer filed on time is often what separates a case DOJ narrows or closes from one that proceeds to discovery and trial.
The materiality standard, the sixty-day answer clock, and the difference between a USCIS letter and a DOJ complaint are the three things worth confirming before you write back to anyone.
References
- USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 12, Part L, Chapter 1 — Purpose and Background
- 8 CFR § 103.2(b) — Submission and Adjudication of Benefit Requests
- 8 U.S.C. § 1451 — Revocation of Naturalization
- 18 U.S.C. § 1425 — Procurement of Citizenship or Naturalization Unlawfully
- 18 U.S.C. § 3291 — Nationality, Citizenship and Passports (limitations period)
- 8 CFR Part 340 — Revocation of Naturalization
- Maslenjak v. United States, 582 U.S. 335 (2017), Supreme Court slip opinion
- U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Justice Creates Section Dedicated to Denaturalization Cases (Feb. 26, 2020)
- AILA Doc. No. 25063012, DOJ Memorandum on Civil Division Enforcement Priorities (June 11, 2025)
Received a Letter? Don’t Answer It Alone.
The deadline in your notice is already running. Bring it to a confidential review before you respond to anyone.
Book a Consultation →This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney before taking any action. · Last verified: July 17, 2026 · Reviewed by: Kathia Quirós, Immigration Attorney · GWP Immigration Law
