Randy Fine, a Republican congressman from Florida, proposed to review all U.S. citizenships acquired through naturalization since 1990, an initiative that, if implemented, could impact hundreds of thousands of Cubans who have acquired citizenship over the past decades.
Fine made the statement on Monday during an interview with journalist Nichole Berlie on the channel NewsNation, as reported by the American outlet Mediaite.
"I believe we should go back to 1990 and reevaluate everyone who has become a naturalized citizen," stated the legislator while defending a review of the procedures through which millions of immigrants obtained U.S. citizenship.
Its proposal would encompass 36 years of naturalizations and would not be limited to a single nationality or migrant community.
Among the individuals who could be included in a review of such scope would be numerous Cubans residing in Florida and other states.
The congressman justified his stance with accusations of alleged immigration irregularities related to Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar from Minnesota, whose citizenship he has publicly questioned.
Fine stated that he believes it is necessary to investigate possible fraud in naturalization applications and mentioned Omar as one of the first individuals whose files should be examined.
During the interview, Nichole Berlie asked the congressman if he would apply the same criteria to other well-known figures who also obtained U.S. citizenship through naturalization, such as First Lady Melania Trump and entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Fine responded that he was unaware of the particular circumstances of their immigration processes and that he had no knowledge of any accusations against them.
Nevertheless, he argued that the same principle should apply to anyone who had provided false information to obtain citizenship.
"I believe that anyone who has lied in their documents to become a citizen should lose their naturalization citizenship and be deported," he stated.
The response left open the possibility that a review could even extend to individuals close to the Trump administration, although Fine did not claim that Melania Trump or Elon Musk had committed any wrongdoing.
For the Cuban community in the United States, this issue is particularly significant due to the number of immigrants from the island who have become naturalized in recent decades.
Florida is home to one of the largest Cuban communities in the country, made up of different generations of immigrants who have obtained citizenship through the processes established by U.S. laws.
However, being born in Cuba, having naturalized after 1990, or holding a U.S. passport does not by itself constitute grounds for losing citizenship.
The congressman expressed a political position during an interview, but did not announce a specific bill, administrative procedure, or government measure to implement that general review.
U.S. legislation allows for the revocation of citizenship acquired through naturalization when it is proven that it was obtained illegally, through the concealment of relevant facts or deliberate false statements.
This is established by Article 1451 of Title 8 of the United States Code, which regulates the revocation of naturalizations.
In civil proceedings, the Government must go to a federal court and present evidence that justifies the revocation of citizenship. Mere suspicion of fraud or the initiation of an investigation do not automatically result in its loss.
Additionally, not every error on a immigration form constitutes sufficient grounds to annul a naturalization. In cases of false statements or concealment, their legal relevance for obtaining citizenship must be established.
If a court ultimately revokes a naturalization, the person may be exposed to additional immigration consequences, including possible deportation, depending on their circumstances. However, losing citizenship and being deported are different processes.
The concern arises because his statements coincide with an offensive by the Department of Justice to identify and pursue cases in which authorities believe that citizenship was obtained through fraud or concealment of relevant information.
On October 5, the Department of Justice announced lawsuits to revoke the citizenship of 40 naturalized individuals, including two Cubans.
The actions were filed in federal courts between August 21 and October 2, 2026, for alleged irregularities that, according to authorities, would have prevented the defendants from legally obtaining nationality.
The two citizens of Cuban origin included in these proceedings are Javier Marrero Pando, a resident of Georgia, and Lázaro Eduardo Trujillo Vitón, whose case was presented in the District of Columbia.
In both cases, the Government asserts that the defendants concealed criminal conduct or provided false information during their respective naturalization processes.
The Department of Justice officially confirmed the filing of the 40 lawsuits, but the allegations contained in them still need to be examined by the appropriate courts.
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