U.S. immigration officials are going after suspected fraudsters and recently arrested 11 illegal immigrants for using fake documents to gain employment in Arizona.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested the 11 individuals between Sept. 10 and Sept. 22.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, the illegal immigrants allegedly used counterfeit state IDs, driver’s licenses, and Social Security cards to gain employment in Arizona. They did not release the names of the suspects.
They were charged by criminal complaint for possessing an identification document to defraud the United States, possessing an identification document produced without lawful authority, and false attestation for employment eligibility verification, all felony offenses.
“Each illegal alien who was charged possessed and used a counterfeit state identification card or driver’s license, as well as a counterfeit Social Security card, to obtain employment at a business in Arizona,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
The illegal immigrants also falsely attested on Form I-9 that they were U.S. citizens or otherwise authorized to work in the United States. An investigation revealed none of them are U.S. citizens or authorized to work in the United States, the Attorney’s Office said.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative targeting illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
“These arrests send a clear message that we will not tolerate the use of fraudulent documents to undermine our immigration and employment systems,” said HSI Arizona Acting Special Agent in Charge Ray Rede. “HSI is committed to protecting the integrity of our nation’s laws and ensuring those who violate them are held accountable.”
The feds have launched multiple investigations into immigration-related fraud. Earlier this week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a large investigation dubbed Operation Twin Shield in Minnesota.
Immigration officers substantiated immigration fraud in forms of marriage fraud, fake death certificates and other bizarre schemes, according to a USCIS news release. The “first of its kind” investigation focused on fraud detection and deterrence activities in Minneapolis-St. Paul region with site visits and in-person interviews to verify applications.
Immigration officers uncovered suspected fraud in 275 cases, including sham marriages, elder abuse and other bizarre schemes aimed at defrauding USCIS.
ICE has announced several workplace busts in recent months involving fake documents, including at a Nebraska meatpacking plant and a fire equipment company in North Carolina.
On June 10, ICE and other federal agents raided the Glenn Valley Foods meatpacking plant in Omaha, Nebraska, detaining over 70 workers suspected of using fraudulent documents to obtain employment and steal people’s identity.
On June 25, ICE executed a federal search warrant at the Buckeye Fire plant in Kings Mountain, NC. Initially, 30 people were detained, and at least eight of them are now charged with federal crimes for aggravated identity theft and potential illegal employment, Queen City News reported.
News of the arrests comes amid a government shutdown, which began Oct. 1 and temporarily suspended the E-Verify System, according to several legal sources. E-Verify is a web-based system through which employers electronically confirm the employment eligibility of their employees.
As of Friday, e-verify.gov appeared to be back online with no alerts listed.
But the government shutdown could affect employers in other ways, including delays with USCIS processing applications and Visas, according to another legal source.
The Department of Labor has suspended all immigration-related functions, including Labor Condition Applications (LCAs), PERM filings, and Prevailing Wage Determinations, halting progress on H-1B, H-2B, H-2A, and employment-based green cards.
The Arizona cases of fraud are being investigated by HSI, District of Arizona, Phoenix Field Office. The USMS in the District of Arizona and the USMS and HSI in the Western District of Tennessee assisted in the arrest of individuals involved in these cases.
The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
Meanwhile, in a separate news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced it brought immigration-related criminal charges against 181 individuals, mostly for illegally entry or re-entry into the United States.
