Wait, can the government actually kick out someone born here? It sounds like a dystopian plot or a wild campaign trail threat, but the question of whether there is a legal pathway to vote to deport US citizens has been popping up in frantic Google searches and heated dinner table debates lately. People are genuinely spooked.
Let's be incredibly clear right off the bat: Under current constitutional law, you cannot deport a natural-born United States citizen. Period. It doesn't matter who you vote for or what policy paper gets drafted by a think tank; the 14th Amendment is a massive, iron-clad wall. However, the nuance starts to get messy when we talk about naturalized citizens, dual nationals, or the shifting legal theories gaining traction in certain political circles.
The 14th Amendment is the Ultimate Shield
If you were born on US soil, you are a citizen. This is the principle of jus soli—right of the birthplace. This isn't just a tradition; it’s the bedrock of the 1868 amendment that was originally designed to ensure formerly enslaved people were recognized as full members of the Republic.
Because citizenship is a constitutional right for those born here, it isn't a "privilege" that the government can just revoke because of a change in administration or a popular vote. For the government to deport a natural-born citizen, they would essentially have to dismantle the 14th Amendment itself. That requires a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate, plus ratification by three-quarters of the states.
It’s almost impossible. Honestly, we can barely get Congress to agree on a budget, let alone a total rewrite of the Constitution's definition of personhood.
Denaturalization: The Loophole People Worry About
While natural-born citizens are safe, naturalized citizens—people who immigrated and earned their citizenship—exist in a slightly more precarious legal space. This is where the idea of a vote to deport US citizens starts to feel less like a myth and more like a bureaucratic tool.
Denaturalization is real. It happens. But—and this is a big "but"—it is currently reserved for cases of fraud. If the Department of Justice (DOJ) finds out someone lied on their citizenship application about being involved in war crimes, or if they were a member of a subversive group like the Nazi party or a terrorist organization within five years of becoming a citizen, the government can sue to strip that citizenship away.
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During the first Trump administration, the DOJ created a dedicated "Denaturalization Section." They weren't looking for average Joes; they were looking for people who had cheated the system. Still, the existence of this office makes people wonder: could the definition of "fraud" or "unworthiness" be expanded by a future act of Congress?
Legally, it's a stretch. The Supreme Court case Maslenjak v. United States (2017) actually made it harder for the government to strip citizenship. The Court ruled that a minor, immaterial lie on an application isn't enough to make someone an alien again. The lie has to actually be the reason they got citizenship in the first place.
Could a New Law Change Things?
You might hear politicians talk about "mass deportations" or "ending birthright citizenship." If a candidate wins an election and claims they have a mandate, could they successfully pass a law that results in a vote to deport US citizens?
Basically, no. Not without the Supreme Court stepping in or a Constitutional Amendment.
There is a fringe legal theory called "originalism" that some scholars, like Dr. John Eastman, have used to argue that the 14th Amendment doesn't apply to children of undocumented immigrants because they aren't "subject to the jurisdiction" of the US in a political sense. Most mainstream legal experts, including those at the conservative Federalist Society, think this is nonsense. The 1898 case United States v. Wong Kim Ark pretty much settled this, confirming that a child born in the US to non-citizen parents is a citizen at birth.
The "Consent" Factor in Losing Citizenship
Interestingly, the US government can't just take your citizenship; usually, you have to give it up. The Supreme Court decided in Afroyim v. Rusk (1967) that the government lacks the power to rob a person of their citizenship.
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The plaintiff in that case was a naturalized citizen who went to Israel and voted in an election there. The US tried to say he lost his American status because of it. The Court said, "No way." They ruled that citizenship is not at the mercy of the legislative branch. You have to intend to relinquish it.
So, if you're worried about a rogue law suddenly turning you into a person without a country, the legal precedents are heavily in your favor. The history of the US is a slow, often painful expansion of who "belongs." Shrinking that circle back down would require breaking nearly 160 years of legal tradition.
Why the Rhetoric Persists
If the law is so clear, why is the phrase vote to deport US citizens even in the atmosphere?
It’s mostly political theater and "lawfare." By suggesting that citizenship is conditional, politicians can appeal to a base that feels the country's demographics are changing too fast. It creates an "us vs. them" dynamic that is very effective for fundraising and mobilization.
But there’s also a darker side. Even if the government can't legally deport a citizen, they can make life miserable through "attrition through enforcement." This means ramping up audits, checking papers at worksites, and creating an environment of fear that leads people to "self-deport." We saw a version of this with the "Operation Wetback" in the 1950s—a shameful chapter where thousands of US citizens of Mexican descent were illegally coerced into leaving the country.
International Comparisons: Can Other Countries Do It?
The US is actually a bit of an outlier in how much it protects its citizens from exile. In the UK, the Home Secretary has the power to strip citizenship from dual nationals if it’s deemed "conducive to the public good." This happened famously with Shamima Begum, who left the UK as a teenager to join ISIS.
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In the United States, we don't really have a "public good" exception for natural-born citizens. You can be a serial killer, a traitor, or the most hated person in the country, and you are still an American. You go to a US prison; you don't get a one-way ticket to a random country.
The Real Risks to Watch
While the vote to deport US citizens is largely a legal impossibility for natural-born folks, there are three areas where the "safety" of citizenship is actually being tested in 2026:
- Administrative Errors: People with "suspicious" birth certificates (often near the Texas border) have occasionally been denied passports or had their citizenship questioned by the State Department. These are usually individual bureaucratic nightmares rather than a broad policy of deportation.
- Dual Nationality Issues: If the US ever gets into a hot war with a country where many Americans hold dual citizenship, there's always the fear of "enemy alien" designations, though the Korematsu (Japanese internment) precedent is now widely regarded by the modern Court as "gravely wrong."
- The "Voter Roll" Purges: While not deportation, several states have moved to purge "suspected non-citizens" from voter rolls. Sometimes, actual citizens get caught in these drags. If you can't vote, your ability to protect your status through the ballot box is weakened.
What You Can Actually Do
Fear is a tool, but information is a shield. If you are concerned about the legal stability of your status or the status of your neighbors, the best move isn't just to panic—it's to secure your documentation.
First, make sure you have a certified copy of your birth certificate or your naturalization certificate. Store them in a fireproof safe. If you're a naturalized citizen, keep a copy of your original application if you can.
Second, stay engaged with local immigration advocacy groups like the ACLU or the National Immigration Law Center (NILC). These organizations are the first line of defense when a city or state tries to overstep federal law.
Third, check your voter registration regularly. Don't wait until Election Day to find out you've been flagged by an automated system.
Actionable Insights for the Concerned Citizen
- Verify your status: If you have any doubt about your paperwork, consult an immigration attorney now. Don't wait for a change in political climate.
- Get a Passport: A US passport is the gold standard for proof of citizenship. It’s harder for a local official to argue with a federal document issued after a background check.
- Know your rights: If you are ever questioned by ICE or law enforcement about your citizenship, you have the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney. You do not have to prove your citizenship on the sidewalk.
- Support Legislative Guardrails: Advocate for laws like the "Citizenship Protection Act" that would further codify the inability of the executive branch to use denaturalization as a political weapon.
The idea of a vote to deport US citizens is a terrifying prospect, but it remains, for now, a legal phantom. The Constitution is designed to be difficult to change for this exact reason—to protect the individual from the temporary whims of the majority. Keeping it that way requires constant vigilance and a deep understanding of the laws that keep us all here.