WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday the formal revocation of U.S. citizenship for a convicted international arms smuggler and a multi-million dollar health care fraudster. The moves signal an aggressive escalation in the federal government’s use of denaturalization as a tool for immigration enforcement under the current administration.
High-Profile Revocations
On March 23, a federal court stripped the citizenship of Vladimir Volgaev, a Ukrainian native who naturalized in 2016. Investigative records reveal Volgaev orchestrated a conspiracy to smuggle over 1,000 firearm components to Ukraine and Italy beginning in 2011. He also defrauded federal housing programs by concealing his income. Though convicted of these crimes in 2020, the DOJ successfully argued that his pre-naturalization criminal activity rendered him ineligible for citizenship due to a lack of “good moral character.”
The following day, on March 24, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida revoked the 2017 naturalization of Mirelys Cabrera Diaz. A resident of Hialeah, Florida, Cabrera Diaz pleaded guilty in 2019 to a health care fraud conspiracy that resulted in more than $6 million in restitution. Federal prosecutors proved she paid kickbacks to patient recruiters for fraudulent prescriptions years before taking her oath of citizenship.
A “Sacred Privilege”
Attorney General Pamela Bondi emphasized that these actions are part of a broader, systematic effort to safeguard the integrity of U.S. naturalization.
“American citizenship is a sacred privilege—not a cheap status that can be obtained dishonestly,” Bondi stated. “These actions reflect this Department of Justice’s ongoing efforts to strip citizenship from people who conceal crimes or defraud the American people during the immigration process.”
Strategic Policy Shift
The revocations coincide with internal DOJ and USCIS guidance directing field offices to refer 100 to 200 denaturalization cases per month during the 2026 fiscal year. This represents a seismic shift from historical averages, which typically saw fewer than 15 such cases filed annually.
Republican lawmakers have mirrored this push, introducing legislation to streamline the removal of citizenship for individuals tied to organized crime, terrorism, or violent offenses. While advocacy groups like the National Immigration Forum note that the burden of proof remains high, the administration’s “Operation Twin Shield” continues to audit thousands of files for potential fraud.
The DOJ has also filed a separate complaint against Alec Nasreddine Kassir for alleged marriage fraud, signaling that the crackdown extends beyond violent crime to include systemic exploitation of the immigration system.
