Systemic denaturalization campaigns target 20M+ naturalized Americans, revealing erosion of legal safeguards and weaponization of citizenship
Original framing: “Justice Department’s effort to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans could face widespread judicial pushback” — The Conversation - Global
The piece situates the Justice Department’s move within a lineage of citizenship stripping that dates back to fascist regimes, the McCarthy era, and the post‑9/11 security state. By drawing parallels to past legal instruments used to exile undesired populations, it reveals a recurring pattern of using bureaucratic power to redefine belonging. This historical depth underscores that the current wave is not an anomaly but a revival of exclusionary tactics.
The denaturalization campaign reflects a convergence of historical exclusionary tactics, cross‑cultural trends, and a scientific quantification of risk that together erode the promise of equal belonging.
Indigenous and artistic‑spiritual lenses expose the deeper relational and human costs, while the trickster perspective uncovers the paradoxical logic of a system that secures itself by denying security. Marginalised voices bear the brunt of this shift, making future‑oriented safeguards and transparent, community‑driven solutions essential to prevent a cascade of rights erosion.