Latest news with #theAmericanPeopleAgainstInvasion
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Business Standard
18-07-2025
- Business Standard
U visa abuse: Fake crimes, real green cards - a $5,000 scam in US explained
A visa created to protect immigrants who are victims of serious crime has now become the focus of a federal fraud investigation in the United States. US Department of Justice indicted five men from Louisiana—including four active and former law enforcement officers on July 17, 2025, on charges of conspiracy, bribery, visa fraud and mail fraud, following a probe initiated by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The case centres on the U visa, a special nonimmigrant visa meant for victims of crimes who cooperate with law enforcement. It offers temporary stay and protection from deportation, but officials say it was abused by those sworn to uphold the law. False police reports and fake victims According to a 62-count indictment released by the US Department of Justice, the accused allegedly ran a nearly decade-long scheme to create fake police reports of armed robberies so immigrants could falsely claim U visa eligibility. 'The indictment alleges the defendants produced false police reports so that the aliens who were supposedly victims of the robberies could apply for U visas,' USCIS said in a statement on Thursday. The accused are: 1. Chandrakant Patel, also known as 'Lala', of Oakdale 2. Chad Doyle, chief of police, City of Oakdale 3. Michael Slaney, known as 'Freck', marshal, Ward 5 Marshal's Office in Oakdale 4. Glynn Dixon, chief of police, City of Forest Hill 5. Tebo Onishea, former chief of police, City of Glenmora All five are charged with conspiring to commit visa fraud. They face up to 5 years in prison for conspiracy, 10 years for visa fraud, 20 years for mail fraud, and \$250,000 in fines per count if convicted. Patel also faces up to 10 years for bribery. Fake crimes for real visas Prosecutors say immigrants seeking U visas would contact Patel or his network, who then arranged to have them named as victims in fabricated police reports. Officers allegedly signed USCIS Form I-918B—used to certify cooperation from law enforcement—without any real investigation. In one instance, Patel allegedly offered $5,000 to an agent of the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office in February 2025 for a forged police report. Aliens paid Patel thousands of dollars to be listed as crime victims, according to the indictment. Law enforcement officers allegedly authored and certified the reports in exchange for payment. Operation Take Back America The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a joint effort of the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. The task force was created under President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. USCIS officers first flagged suspicious patterns in U visa applications, prompting a multi-agency investigation involving fraud detection units and local prosecutors. How the U visa is supposed to work The U visa was introduced by the US Congress in October 2000 under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. It was meant to help crime victims—such as those affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, or trafficking—gain temporary status in the US while helping law enforcement with investigations. To be eligible, applicants must: Be victims of qualifying criminal activity Have suffered physical or mental abuse Possess information about the crime Be helpful to law enforcement Have been involved in crimes that occurred in the US or violated US laws Be otherwise admissible under immigration law (or apply for a waiver) Crimes that qualify include: Domestic violence, sexual assault, rape, stalking, and trafficking Felonious assault, extortion, abduction, and involuntary servitude Perjury, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice Attempts or conspiracies linked to these offences Applicants must also submit Form I-918 Supplement B, a certificate of helpfulness signed by a law enforcement agency. Certifying bodies include police departments, prosecutors, judges, child protective services, and certain federal agencies. Green card path and growing concerns over fraud U visa holders can apply for permanent residency after three years of continuous physical presence in the US. They must submit Form I-485 along with medical records, identity documents, travel history, and evidence of cooperation with law enforcement. There are five U visa categories, covering victims and certain family members: U-1: Primary applicants who are crime victims U-2: Spouses of U-1 holders U-3: Children U-4: Parents (if U-1 is under 21) U-5: Minor siblings (if U-1 is under 21) Over the years, the programme has drawn criticism for delays and abuse. In a 2022 report, the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general found the scheme poorly managed, vulnerable to fraud, and not helpful in solving crimes. More than half the surveyed law enforcement agencies said they believed the programme was being abused. A 2023 case exposed a multi-state network staging fake robberies for visa benefits. In 2024, one such staged robbery led to the fake assailant being shot by a bystander. While the U visa was meant as protection for those in genuine need, recent investigations suggest it's increasingly being used as a tool to exploit the system. But should the visa now be completely scrapped? Despite the fraud revelations, expert warn against dismantling the U visa programme altogether. Claire Holba, immigration policy analyst at the Niskanen Center, wrote in a blog post that critics often overlook the core reason the visa exists: to support those without legal status who become victims of serious crimes. 'A common criticism of the U visa is that petitioners lack proper immigration documentation,' she noted. 'But this ignores the fact that the visa was designed precisely because they don't have it.' Holba argued that the system isn't just about protecting immigrants—it's a tool for law enforcement. 'Individuals who commit crimes must be prosecuted, regardless of their victim's immigration status. To do so effectively, victims and key witnesses must feel safe reporting these crimes.' She added that the U visa has been vital in helping authorities go after offenders while offering protection to the most vulnerable, including women facing domestic violence and children subjected to rape and abuse. 'Misconceptions about U visas need correcting,' Holba wrote, 'so the programme can continue serving its purpose—making American society safer and more just.'
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Arellano: Homeland Security's 'sanctuary city' list is riddled with errors. The sloppiness is the point
The Department of Homeland Security's "sanctuary jurisdiction list" has more holes than the plot for the latest 'Mission Impossible' film. All you need to know about its accuracy is how my native Orange County fared. The only O.C. city on the list is Huntington Beach — you know, the 'burb with an all-Republican council that's suing California for being a sanctuary state, declared itself a 'non-sanctuary' community in January and and plans to place a plaque outside the city's main library with an acrostic "MAGA" message. Missing from the list? Santa Ana, long synonymous with undocumented immigrants, which declared itself a sanctuary city all the way back in 2016 and has a deportation defense fund for residents. More laughable errors: Livingston, the first city in the Central Valley to declare itself a sanctuary for immigrants in 2017, isn't on the list. Yet Santee in San Diego County, so notorious for its racism that people still call it 'Klantee,' is. There's even Represa. Ever heard of it? Me, neither. Turns out it's not a city but the name of the post office for two places not exactly known as sanctuaries: Folsom State Prison and California State Prison, Sacramento. Read more: Trump signs orders ramping up immigration showdown with sanctuary cities and states Within hours of his inauguration, Donald Trump signed an executive order tellingly titled 'Protecting the American People Against Invasion' that, among other things, stated that sanctuary jurisdictions should no longer receive federal funds. But the May 29 list laying out the jurisdictions that are supposedly subject to the penalty was so flawed that it was taken off the Homeland Security website within days. It's still not back up. The effort seemed cobbled together by someone who typed 'sanctuary' and a city's name into Google and swallowed whatever the AI spat up without even bothering to cross-check with Wikipedia. Trump's opponents are already depicting this fiasco as emblematic of an administration that loves to shoot itself in the foot, then put the bloody foot in its mouth. But it's even worse than that. The list shows how blinded by fury the Trump administration is about illegal immigration. There is no mistake too big or too small for Trump to forgive, as long as it's in the name of deportation and border walls. The president's obsession with tying all of this country's real and imagined ills to newcomers reminds me of Cato the Elder, the Roman Republic politician famous for allegedly saying 'Carthage must be destroyed' at the end of all his speeches, no matter the topic. That's why the pushback by politicians against Homeland Security's big, beautiful boo-boo has been quick — and hilarious. Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns appeared on KCAL News to declare that Surf City's inclusion was 'pure negligence' while holding a small white bust of Donald Trump the way a toddler clings to its blankey. Vista Mayor John Franklin, meanwhile, was on the city council that voted in 2018 to support the Trump administration's unsuccessful lawsuit against California's sanctuary state law. He told ABC 10News San Diego that he thought Vista made the list because 'another city in the county that bears a similar name to ours … may have, and I haven't confirmed it yet, adopted a sanctuary policy.' Dude, say the city's name: Chula Vista, a far cooler, muy Latino town closer to the U.S.-Mexico border than Vista is. It's also on the list and isn't a sanctuary city, either. On the other end of the political spectrum, Rep. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) told the Voice of OC that he recently advised Santa Ana officials to 'keep their head low' and not make a big deal about their sanctuary city status — as if hiding under a desk, like a "Scooby Doo" caper, will somehow save the city from the Trump administration's haphazard hammer. Immigration, more than any other part of Trump's agenda, exemplifies the Silicon Valley cliché of moving fast and breaking things. His administration has deported people by mistake and given the middle finger to judges who order them brought back. Trump officials are now shipping immigrants to countries they have no ties to, and shrugging their shoulders. Immigration agents are trying to apprehend people in places long considered off-limits, like schools and places of worship. And yet, this still isn't enough for Trump. Read more: U.S. attorney in L.A. moves to 'neutralize' California's sanctuary rules Deportation rates are rising, but still not to the levels seen in some years of the Biden and Obama administrations, and not even close to Operation Wetback, the Eisenhower-era program that deported over a million Mexican nationals. Trump's deportation dream team — Homeland Security head Kristi Noem, border czar Tom Homan and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller — has berated ICE officials for not doing more to comply with Trump's wishes. The sanctuary list embodies all of this. Who cares if the wreckage involves human lives, or the Constitution? The sloppiness is the point. The cruelty is the point. Homeland Security didn't answer my request to explain the flaws in its sanctuary jurisdiction list and why it was taken down. Instead, a spokesperson emailed a statement saying 'the list is being constantly reviewed and can be changed at any time and will be updated regularly." The decision whether to include a place, the statement said, 'is based on the evaluation of numerous factors.' Except the truth, it seems. Let's laugh at the absurd mistakes while we can. Really, how pendejo can you be to think that Huntington Beach is friendly to undocumented immigrants but Santa Ana isn't? Let's laugh while we can, because things are going to get much worse before they get better. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Hindu
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
U.S. Embassy in India warns people staying beyond their authorised period to face deportation or ban on travelling to U.S.
The U.S. Embassy in India on Saturday (May 17, 2025) warned that people who stay in the U.S. beyond their authorised period of stay will face deportation or a permanent ban on travelling to the U.S. in the future. In a post shared on X, the U.S. Embassy in India stated, 'If you remain in the United States beyond your authorized period of stay, you could be deported and could face a permanent ban on traveling to the United States in the future.' If you remain in the United States beyond your authorized period of stay, you could be deported and could face a permanent ban on traveling to the United States in the future. — U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) May 17, 2025 On Friday, a Federal Appeals court refused to allow the Trump administration to restart deporting migrants to nations other than their own without prior notice or the opportunity to seek protection from persecution or torture, CNN reported. The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration's request to block a lower court decision halting the policy. The court's decision comes amid rising concerns over reported plans to send migrants to Libya, a country criticised for the mistreatment of detainees and ongoing civil unrest. The appellate panel voiced several 'concerns' about letting the government resume the policy, among them 'the irreparable harm that will result from wrongful removals in this context.' Earlier in March, the U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy stopped the Trump administration from deporting migrants to nations other than their own without prior written notice and a chance to contest the removal from the U.S., CNN reported. Earlier in April, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reminded all foreign nationals present in the country for over 30 days that the deadline to register under the Alien Registration Act is April 11. The law requires all foreign nationals in the United States for more than 30 days to register with the federal government. Failure to register is considered a crime, punishable by fines, imprisonment, or both. Kristi Noem said, 'President Trump and I have a clear message for those in our country illegally: leave now. If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream.' 'The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws--we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce. We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans,' she added. On January 20, U.S. President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, directing the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to restore order and accountability to the immigration system. This includes implementing the Alien Registration Act.
India Gazette
17-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
US warns people staying beyond their authorised period to face deportation or ban on travelling to US
New Delhi [India], May 17 (ANI): The US Embassy in India on Saturday warned that people who stay in the US beyond their authorised period of stay will face deportation or a permanent ban on travelling to the US in the future. In a post shared on X, the US Embassy in India stated, 'If you remain in the United States beyond your authorized period of stay, you could be deported and could face a permanent ban on traveling to the United States in the future.' On Friday, a federal appeals court refused to allow the Trump administration to restart deporting migrants to nations other than their own without prior notice or the opportunity to seek protection from persecution or torture, CNN reported. The US First Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration's request to block a lower court decision halting the policy. The court's decision comes amid rising concerns over reported plans to send migrants to Libya, a country criticised for the mistreatment of detainees and ongoing civil unrest. The appellate panel voiced several 'concerns' about letting the government resume the policy, among them 'the irreparable harm that will result from wrongful removals in this context.' Earlier in March, the US District Judge Brian Murphy stopped the Trump administration from deporting migrants to nations other than their own without prior written notice and a chance to contest the removal from the US, CNN reported. Earlier in April, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reminded all foreign nationals present in the country for over 30 days that the deadline to register under the Alien Registration Act is April 11. The law requires all foreign nationals in the United States for more than 30 days to register with the federal government. Failure to register is considered a crime, punishable by fines, imprisonment, or both. Kristi Noem said, 'President Trump and I have a clear message for those in our country illegally: leave now. If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream.' 'The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws--we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce. We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans,' she added. On January 20, US President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, directing the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to restore order and accountability to the immigration system. This includes implementing the Alien Registration Act. (ANI)
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Overstaying in US may lead to deportation, warns US embassy in India
Representative image The US Embassy in India on Saturday issued a warning that people who stay in the United States beyond their permitted time could be deported or permanently banned from entering the US again. In a message posted on X, the embassy said, "If you remain in the United States beyond your authorized period of stay , you could be deported and could face a permanent ban on traveling to the United States in the future." — usandindia (@usandindia) Meanwhile, on Friday, a US federal appeals court declined a request by the Trump administration to restart deporting migrants to countries other than their own without giving them prior notice or a chance to apply for protection from harm, news agency Reuters reported. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Live Update: The Strategy Uses By Successful Intraday Trader TradeWise Learn More Undo The court raised several "concerns" about restarting the removals, including "the irreparable harm that will result from wrongful removals in this context." In March, US district judge Brian Murphy had earlier stopped the Trump administration from carrying out such deportations without written notice and a chance to contest them. Moreover, in April, US homeland security secretary Kristi Noem reminded foreign nationals who have been in the US for over 30 days that they must register under the Alien Registration Act . The law requires all foreign nationals staying in the US for more than 30 days to register with the federal government. Not registering is a crime and can lead to fines, jail time, or both. Earlier this year, on January 20, US President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14159, titled Protecting the American People Against Invasion . The order instructed the department of homeland security to bring order and responsibility to the immigration system, including by enforcing the Alien Registration Act.
