denaturalization

English

Alternative forms

• denaturalisation (chiefly British)

Etymology

From de- +‎ naturalization.

Noun

denaturalization (countable and uncountable, plural denaturalizations)

1. The act or process of denaturalizing, of changing or destroying the quality (nature) of a thing.
   • 1997, “He Who Accompanies Me”, in George Collins, transl., The Politics of Friendship, London, New York, N.Y.: Verso, translation of Politiques de l’amitié by Jacques Derrida, published 2005, →ISBN, page 185:

     In each feature of this sovereign friendship (exception, improbable and random unicity, metapolitical transcendence, disproportion, infinite dissymmetry, denaturalization, etc.), it might be tempting to recognize a rupture with Greek philía – a testamentary rupture, as some would hasten to conclude, a palaeo- or neo-testamentary rupture.

2. The removal of the rights of a citizen.
   • 2018 June 13, Tal Kopan, “Trump admin creates new office to investigate citizenship fraud”, in CNN‎^[1]:

     The Justice Department has long pursued denaturalization on the basis of fraud. A 2016 Homeland Security Department Inspector General report found that at least 858 people had been given US citizenship despite having been deported under a different identity, because their fingerprints had not been in the system.

   • 2020 February 26, Priscilla Alvarez, “Justice Department creates section dedicated to denaturalization cases”, in CNN‎^[2]:

     Still, denaturalizations are rare and can only occur in federal court. The Justice Department has filed 228 civil denaturalization cases since 2008, according to a DOJ official. Of the 228 cases, 94 were filed over roughly the last three years, indicating a recent jump in filings, the official said.