VLADIMIR DUTHIERS:
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Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche is brushing off accusations that the Justice Department is targeting President Trump's political rivals. In a new, wide ranging interview with CBS News immigration correspondent, Camilo Montoya Galvez. He also defended his administration's plans for denaturalization, which he said could soon ramp up. And Camilo joins us now this morning from Phoenix, Arizona. So wait, so let's break down what he said about those denaturalizations. What is that all about, Camilo? Good morning, Vlad. Well, historically, the denaturalization process, the act of revoking someone's citizenship, someone who was born overseas but who became an American citizen legally has been rare and limited, Vlad, to egregious cases involving human rights abusers or terrorists or national security threats. But now the second Trump administration is trying to dramatically expand that procedure, expanding the categories of legal immigrants who are naturalized US citizens who could be subject to denaturalization. Let's take a listen to what the acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, told us about that campaign. There was a lot of concern among naturalized citizens, and I think there's about 24 million citizens who are naturalized here in the US. Well, I don't know why they would be concerned. So, for example, it's like saying, are you going to arrest just people who rob a convenience store because there's a lot of people who go to convenience stores who are worried? They shouldn't be. If you didn't commit a crime in the way you became a citizen, I don't think you have anything to worry about. So I don't think it's true that those 24 million citizens are worried. I think there's a very small percentage of them who are worried. And yes, they should be. And Vlad, Blanche conceded to us that revoking someone's citizenship is a drastic consequence and action. But he said that committing fraud to obtain that citizenship in the first place is also a drastic act by the person who is being targeted as part of this denaturalization campaign. But of course, there are a lot of concerns among naturalized citizens that they could be targeted by this campaign. There are 24 million naturalized citizens here in the US. And, Camilo, there have been claims that the DOJ is conducting a retribution campaign. What did Blanche say to that? Well, as you know, former president Barack Obama recently said that the Justice Department can't can be directed by the president to go around prosecuting and targeting his political rivals. We posed that question directly to Blanche. Let's take a listen to how he responded to that criticism. It is absolutely not true. And how do I prove it's not true? Well, if you look at the recent indictment you asked me about a few minutes ago, you have local prosecutors, you have local agents that I don't even know their names. I don't know their names-- who are bringing these charges. That's one way. And the next thing I'll say is it is extraordinarily hypocritical and extraordinarily rich for these critics, as you call them, to focus on what this administration is doing when almost to a person, they remain dead silent for four years. While we saw what happened during the Biden administration with President Trump. And we asked Blanche directly, is President Trump calling you personally to direct prosecutions at the Justice Department? And he did not explicitly or categorically deny that claim, but instead said that President Trump has better things to do than to be telling the Attorney General how to do his job. Guys. All right. Camilo with that great reporting in that interview. Thank you very much, Camilo. Appreciate it.
