Texas AG candidate threatens to denaturalize House Democratic leader Rep. Wu

A Republican candidate for Texas attorney general has threatened to revoke the citizenship of  Chinese American State Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) and vowed to use the office to “destroy the left.”

What he’s saying: Aaron Reitz, a Marine veteran and former Trump DOJ appointee running in the March 3 GOP primary, wrote in a Feb. 9 X post that he wants Wu denaturalized, alleging without evidence that Wu “likely concealed his anti-American sentiment throughout his citizenship app process.” Wu, who currently serves as the Texas House Democratic minority leader, has not directly addressed Reitz’s threat.

Speaking to the Texas Tribune, Reitz, who has the endorsement of current Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton, promised a “civilizational battle with anti-American forces on the left.” He said he would target any public institution “pushing tranny insanity” and vowed to make the state “inhospitable” to Muslim groups. “The best way to serve everyday Texans,” he said, “is to destroy the left.” Running far behind frontrunners U.S. Rep. Chip Roy and state Sen. Mayes Middleton, he is betting on his intensity to set him apart.

Driving the news: Reitz’s comments came in reaction to a 28-second clip from Wu’s Dec. 31, 2024 “Define American” podcast, in which the latter called for minorities to recognize their “same oppressor” and reminded them of their “ability to take over this country” to “make things fair.” This sparked outrage among conservatives. U.S. Rep. Roy called for Wu’s resignation, Paxton labeled him “a radical racist who hates millions of Texans just because they’re white” and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz accused Democrats of bigotry.

Former Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French, now running for Texas railroad commissioner, also called Wu a “commie,” a particularly sharp charge given that Wu’s family fled persecution under the Chinese Communist Party. Wu, for his part, clarified to the Houston Chronicle’s Evan Mintz that “oppressor” referred to Republicans, a distinction the viral clip left out.

What this means: The threat comes amid an already fraught climate for Asian Americans. The Trump administration, for starters, has already confirmed plans to denaturalize some citizens, with USCIS field offices fulfilling monthly quotas. Citing the World War II internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans, Wu in the 2024 podcast said, “When the mass deportation begins, I promise you it will not just be illegal immigrants who are affected. It will be Americans.”

Wu has faced this kind of targeting before, including unfounded CCP accusations that surfaced during a 2025 redistricting walkout. Two state Supreme Court suits seeking his removal for breaking quorum also remain active. As the backlash spread, some right-wingers reportedly began urging others to show up at his home, putting his family’s physical safety at risk.

Is Wu’s denaturalization likely?: Reitz’s threat has no legal basis. In practice, denaturalization proceedings are exceedingly rare, and the law permits them only when someone committed fraud during their citizenship application, or when a naturalized citizen joins the CCP or a terrorist organization within a few years of becoming a citizen.

The deeper irony is that the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act only passed after the civil rights movement tore down the race-based legal barriers that had long kept Asian immigrants out, the very movement Wu was crediting when he said Asian American civil rights were “paid for with Black blood.”