Did you Know?

By Paul Waldmiller

Did you know that denaturalizations of Floridians have increased in 2026?

There has been an increase of Floridians losing their United States citizenship this year, with multiple cases initiated and finalized by the U.S. Department of Justice under President Trump’s expanded priorities. The DOJ is targeting naturalized citizens accused of obtaining citizenship through fraud, concealment of criminal activities, or national security threats, and are handled through federal district courts.

A June 2025 Department of Justice memo directed prosecutors to prioritize denaturalization in these types of cases as well as any involved in terrorism, war crimes, gang activities or any concealed felonies. In comparison, under President Donald Trump’s first term (2017–2021), 168 cases were filed, an average of roughly 42 per year. During President Joe Biden’s term, 64 cases were filed, averaging about 16 per year

Here are 4 recent Florida denaturalization cases.

• Vladimir Volgaev, a Ukrainian native, whose citizenship was revoked on March 23, 2026, after he concealed involvement in smuggling firearms parts to Ukraine and Italy and committed federal housing fraud.  He was convicted in 2020 and naturalized in 2016.
• Mirelys Cabrera Diaz, a Cuban woman, had her citizenship revoked on March 24, 2026, after being convicted of conspiring to commit over $6 million in Medicare fraud between 2011 and 2014, which occurred during her required good moral character period. 
• Alec Nasreddine Kassir, a Lebanon native residing in Miami, is facing a civil denaturalization complaint filed March 17, 2026, for allegedly lying about living with his U.S. citizen spouse when applying for naturalization in 2010.  He pleaded guilty to passport fraud in 2018.
• Victor Manuel Rocha, a former U.S. ambassador and convicted Cuban spy, is the subject of a May 2026 denaturalization complaint based on his admission to spying for Cuba since 1973—before his 1978 naturalization. 

The DOJ’s Civil Division, particularly the Office of Immigration Litigation, leads these actions, often in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).