Citizenship Applications Are Now Enforcement Triggers: Advising and Litigating Delays, Denials, and the Denaturalization Surge

Jesse Matthew Bless, Founder and Owner | Bless Litigation LLC

Jesse M. Bless is the founder and owner of Bless Litigation LLC.  In 2004, Jesse was selected for the Attorney General’s Honors Program at the Department of Justice. Jesse worked at the DOJ between September 2004 and May 2017.  In September 2019, Jesse was selected as the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s first Director of Federal Litigation. In September 2022, Jesse started Bless Litigation LLC.

• Education & Credentials

Mr. Bless entered federal practice in 2004 through the Attorney General’s Honors Program at the U.S. Department of Justice. He is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and litigates in U.S. District Courts nationwide.

• Recognition & Leadership

In 2025, Mr. Bless received the Jack Wasserman Award, presented annually by the American Immigration Lawyers Association to the attorney who has made the most significant contribution to the development of immigration law through federal litigation.

• Professional Involvement

From 2019 to 2022, Mr. Bless served as AILA’s first Director of Federal Litigation, shaping national strategy for federal immigration litigation and supporting attorneys across the country.

• Experience

During thirteen years at the Department of Justice, Mr. Bless worked for the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and the Office of Immigration Litigation. From 2017 to 2019, he managed the litigation practice group at Jeff Goldman Immigration in Boston. Today he represents companies and individuals seeking relief from immigration-related decisions and delays in federal court, including mandamus actions against USCIS, visa denial challenges, and circuit court petitions for review.

Lance Curtright, Managing Partner | De Mott, Curtright & Armendáriz, LLP

Lance Curtright is the Managing Partner of De Mott, Curtright & Armendáriz, LLP in San Antonio, Texas. He has practiced immigration law since 2001 and is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. His practice spans removal defense, federal litigation, business immigration including TN and E visas, and family-based immigration.

• Education & Credentials

Mr. Curtright earned his J.D. with distinction from the University of Nebraska, where he served on the National Moot Court team and received the Order of Barristers for advocacy. He holds a B.A. in Politics from the University of Dallas, where he graduated cum laude in 1998. He is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

• Recognition & Leadership

Mr. Curtright has been selected for the Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers list and for the 2016 through 2024 editions of The Best Lawyers in America. Under his lead, the firm’s Litigation Section received the 2013 Best Litigation Department of the Year award from Texas Lawyer magazine. In 2021, he was elected to the San Antonio Bar Foundation Class of Fellows.

• Professional Involvement

He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Federal Bar Association, and the San Antonio Bar Association. He chaired the Texas/New Mexico/Oklahoma Chapter of AILA in 2019-2020 and previously served as the ICE liaison for the San Antonio district. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Second, Fifth, and Sixth Circuits, the Western, Southern, Northern, and Eastern Districts of Texas, the District of Nebraska, and Texas state courts.

• Experience

Mr. Curtright has represented hundreds of clients in federal removal proceedings and has helped individuals, corporations, and families secure permanent residency. His published decisions include Mejia v. Barr, Cabrera v. Sessions, Iruegas-Valdez v. Yates, Hosseini v. Johnson, Villegas-Sarabia v. Johnson, Amrollah v. Napolitano, Matter of Lamus, and Mortera-Cruz v. Gonzales. He has also advised on federal court matters involving Department of Labor and ICE I-9 employer compliance audits, publishes on immigration law, and speaks frequently at immigration law conferences.

SESSION 1 – Preparing the N-400: Client Advising from Filing Through Post-Interview Review | 1:00pm – 2:00pm

This session equips immigration attorneys to advise N-400 clients in the post-2025 adjudication landscape, including the aftermath of USCIS policy memoranda PM-602-0192 and PM-602-0194 following the nationwide vacatur issued in Dorcas, and the expanded criminal history disclosures triggered by the April 2026 FBI Next Generation Identification resubmission. Attorneys will learn how to prepare clients at each stage — filing an N-400, awaiting an interview, preparing for the interview, and pursuing post-interview review.

BREAK | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

SESSION 2 – Litigating the Three Ds: Delay, Denial, and Denaturalization | 2:10pm – 3:10pm

This session examines the federal court remedies available to challenge naturalization delays, naturalization denials, and the DOJ’s civil denaturalization surge under the Shumate Memo. Attorneys will analyze the APA, due process, and statutory arguments that have succeeded and failed in live litigation, including Dorcas, Wagafe v. USCIS, and Doe v. Trump. Attendees will leave with a working framework for identifying viable claims, building the administrative record, and advising clients on exposure across all three enforcement pipelines.