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U.S. Launches Major Fight Against Immigration Document Fraud

Interagency efforts also will target immigration benefit fraud

U.S. law enforcement agencies are teaming up for an all-out fight against document fraud and immigration benefit fraud.

At an April 5 press conference, U.S. officials announced the formation of multi-agency Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces in 11 cities: Atlanta; Boston; Dallas; Denver; Detroit; Los Angeles; New York; Newark, New Jersey; Philadelphia; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Washington.

Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Julie Myers said the task forces will target both individuals and sophisticated criminal organizations involved in multimillion-dollar criminal schemes to produce and sell fraudulent documents.

Document fraud "has become epidemic in this country," Myers said.

"Millions of illegal aliens have used fraudulently obtained or counterfeit documents to unlawfully obtain employment in the United States," she said. "At the same time, some of these fraudulent documents have helped numerous criminals hide from law enforcement, and the vulnerability created from terrorists who embed themselves into our society and avoid detection is clear."

Myers said criminals increasingly are using new technology, such as advanced computer software and high-resolution digital scanners and advanced printing devices, for document fraud.

In addition, these criminals have operations in every area of the country. In one case in Denver, ICE discovered that fraudulent documents manufactured by a single criminal organization had been found in all 50 states. The high profits from this crime, she added, are tempting professionals such as attorneys, corporate executives, immigration consultants and notaries.

Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty, who also spoke at the press conference, said fake documents allow anyone - including criminals and terrorists - to enter and reside in the United States.

"My initial experience with document fraud," McNulty said, "was on the heels of the attacks on America of September 11th, 2001.... (W)e prosecuted four criminals, who for as little as $100 each, helped 9/11 terrorists fraudulently acquire Virginia identification cards."

Those fake document producers, he said, were in effect helping the terrorists who eventually would hijack Flight 77 and fly it into the Pentagon, killing 189 people.

Asylum fraud, Myers said, "has been abused for years by criminals and terrorists. For example, asylum fraud enabled Ramsey Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, to enter this country."

The problem is growing, she added. "We know that each year tens of thousands of applications for immigration benefits are denied because of fraud, and those are just the ones we find. Recent studies indicate that the incidence of fraud in some visa categories is as high as 33 percent."

Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services Emilio Gonzalez emphasized that "the door to the United States of America must and will remain open."

"However, we will diligently guard that door to ensure that no one, and we mean no one, is tempted to take advantage of our hospitality. And if they do, then they should expect to pay the full consequences," he said.

An immigrant himself, Gonzalez said he appreciates the tremendous opportunities that the United States offers. "And today as a naturalized citizen, I lead the largest immigration service in the world.

"But we can never lose sight of the fact that legal immigration to the United States is a highly valued privilege. We must do everything in our collective powers to maintain the trust that we've been given to safeguard that most precious gift."

Source: U.S. Department of State