A longtime supporter of President Donald Trump is pleading for compassion after his wife, who fled violence in Colombia, was detained by immigration authorities.
David Prine, a 51-year-old disabled Marine Corps veteran, told Newsweek he continues to back Trump—even after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took his wife, Yenifer Correa Ganan, into custody last month.
Ganan, 35, entered the U.S. legally in January 2024 under the CBP One parole program with her daughter, Ana Maria. She initially worked at UPS and later at Virginia Tech before being detained by ICE following a domestic dispute.
“I supported President Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024,” said Prine, who works with the Department of Veterans Affairs. “I even donated nearly all my income in 2015 to his campaign. I still support him today—but I hope he’ll now support me, too.”
From Legal Entry to Detention
Ganan and Prine were pursuing a marriage-based green card. The couple moved to the U.S. after Prine was shot in the face during a robbery in Colombia in 2023. However, in April 2025, Ganan lost her legal status following a broad revocation of parole protections.
She filed for voluntary departure in May, but a paperwork error led to her request being rejected. Days later, on May 17, she was arrested in Virginia after a domestic incident. State charges were dropped, but ICE detained her and transferred her to a facility in South Texas on May 29.
“She’s not trying to stay. She just wants to go home to Colombia with her daughter,” Prine said. “I even offered to post a $50,000 cash bond and escort her myself.”
Despite his appeals, Ganan remains in ICE custody. Bond requests have been denied, and her next immigration hearing is scheduled for July 29.
DHS Labels Ganan a “Serial Criminal”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told Newsweek that Ganan is “a serial criminal,” citing prior arrests for assault and violating a protective order. “Attempts to cast her as a sympathetic figure ignore the facts,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.”
Prine disputes the framing. He says the family is simply trying to reunite and move forward, but their life has been thrown into crisis.
“I’m 100 percent disabled,” he said. “Yenifer was the only person helping care for our household and our two daughters—her daughter, Ana Maria, and my teenage daughter, Dakota. Without her, we’re barely holding on.”
Emotional Toll on the Family
Prine says the emotional toll has been especially hard on the children.
“Ana cries for her mom every day. She draws pictures and tapes them to the fridge. She doesn’t understand why her mom was taken,” he said. “Dakota is struggling, too. We’re a fractured household just trying to survive.”
The case highlights the real-life impact of Trump’s strict immigration policies. The administration has vowed to ramp up deportations, arguing that all undocumented immigrants are considered criminals under federal law.
Even so, Prine remains hopeful: “I still believe in the president. I just hope he can see that this family deserves dignity—and closure.”
