Iowa Capital Dispatch
April 9, 2026
A West Des Moines woman from Venezuela is asking a federal judge to intervene and prevent the Trump administration from blocking her path to citizenship.
Mirna Elena Marin De Marcano is taking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Xian Wang, the acting field office director for Des Moines’ ICE office, to court over the federal government’s alleged cancellation of her planned oath-of-citizenship ceremony.
According to her lawsuit, Marin De Marcano has had lawful permanent residency status in the United States for five years and submitted an application for full citizenship in March 2025.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
SUBSCRIBE
The lawsuit claims she subsequently passed tests for English proficiency, American history, and U.S. government, all of which resulted in her application for citizenship being recommended for approval in October 2025.
On Dec. 5, 2025, the lawsuit claims, Marin De Marcano was notified that her planned oath-of-citizenship ceremony had been canceled due to her place of origin, Venezuela, being labeled “a high-risk country” by the Trump administration.
On Dec. 16, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a formal proclamation restricting the entry into the United States of all foreign nationals from Venezuela and six other countries, regardless of their eligibility for immigration status.
In signing the proclamation, Trump said he was responding to protect the nation “from foreign nationals who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security and public safety, incite hate crimes, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.”
In a court petition for naturalization filed on Marin De Marcano’s behalf, attorney Jessica Donels of Des Moines told the court on Tuesday the president’s proclamation is illegal and stated that her client “has been a lawful permanent resident for five years, maintained a continuous residence in the United States for five years, speaks English, has good moral character, passed the civics course, is loyal to the principles of the U.S. Constitution, and is willing to take the Oath of Allegiance.”
Donels is asking the court to assume jurisdiction over and clear Marin De Marcano’s path to citizenship.
Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice have yet to file a response in the case.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
SUPPORT
Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com.
