ICE Shifts Resources to Combat Fraudulent Family Claims by Migrants at Border
by BOB PRICE
BREITBART.COM
30 Apr 2019
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are deploying additional resources to the southwest border to combat the number of false family claims being made by Central American migrants. Of 100 interviews conducted this month, Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) special agents say they found evidence of fraud in more than 25 percent of family unit claims.
“This fraud may include the use of forged birth certificates or other fraudulent documents to establish parentage,” ICE officials stated in a press release on Tuesday. “Forged or other fraudulent documents are also being used by adult illegal aliens to falsely claim they are minors under the age of 18.”
Officials stated the migrants are making fraudulent familial claims in order to “exploit loopholes in immigration laws to enter the U.S. and avoid detention.”
“ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is redirecting resources to the border in response to cases of fake families using forged documents to illegally enter our country and avoid detention. Our highly-skilled teams are working to stop individuals, networks and organizations facilitating child smuggling and document fraud,” ICE Acting Director Matthew Albence said in a written statement. “ICE along with our partners at CBP, remain committed to protecting children by ensuring they are not used as pawns by individuals attempting to gain entry to the U.S. through fraud.”
Beginning April 16, ICE officials deployed three teams of HSI special agents to the El Paso Sector to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials in interdiction efforts in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas. The agency deployed three additional teams on April 22 to the Rio Grande Valley, Del Rio, Yuma, and El Centro Border Patrol Sectors.
“The teams were chosen for their human smuggling and trafficking expertise and include criminal analysts, interpreters, document analysts, forensic interview specialists, and victim assistance specialists,” ICE officials stated. “ICE is committed to ensure child safety and welfare and to decrease the number of minors being exploited to gain access into the United States.”
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