Operation Twin Shield Targets Immigration Fraud
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shared the outcomes of a recent initiative called “Operation Twin Shield” on Tuesday. This operation took place over the span of a week, specifically from September 19 to September 28, in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
During this period, fraud detection officers visited nearly 1,000 locations. USCIS Director Joseph Edlow commented that the findings were quite alarming. He described Operation Twin Shield as an unprecedented targeted effort focused on identifying and preventing fraud in a specific region.
According to Edlow, they uncovered various types of fraud, from marriage scams and visa overstays to individuals falsely claiming employment at non-existent businesses. There were also instances of forged documents and misuse of the H1-B visa program.
In total, investigators discovered evidence of fraud or other concerns in 275 cases, which is about 44% of those interviewed. This suggests a significant issue within the immigration system that, perhaps, many might not have been aware of.
One particularly striking case involved an individual who admitted to acquiring a fake death certificate from Kenya for around $100, claiming it as proof of his divorce. Yet, in reality, his wife resides in Minneapolis and is the mother of his five children. Interestingly, he also has another wife in Sweden with whom he shares three additional children.
Edlow also mentioned that they found organizations sponsoring numerous individuals improperly, essentially blanket-sponsoring many people — a severe violation that should have been identified earlier. In response to their findings, the agency referred 42 cases involving illegal immigrants to ICE, resulting in the detention of four individuals.
“USCIS is declaring an all-out war on immigration fraud,” Edlow stated emphatically, emphasizing the agency’s commitment to preserving the integrity of the immigration system.
