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  1. #1
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    Chinese national pleads guilty to running 'birth tourism' scheme in US

    Chinese national pleads guilty to running 'birth tourism' scheme in US

    Thousands of pregnant women from various countries enter the United States every year on valid visas to give birth to children who automatically gain US citizenship.PHOTO: AFP


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    LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A Chinese national pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Sept 17) to federal charges of running a "birth tourism" scheme in California that catered to wealthy Chinese clients, including government officials, who paid large sums of money so their children would be US citizens.

    Dongyuan Li, 41, admitted in her plea agreement that between 2013 and March 2015, her company - called You Win USA Vacation Services - assisted mainly Chinese foreign nationals who were pregnant to travel to the US and give birth.


    The company website advertised that it had catered to more than 500 Chinese birth tourism customers who, according to officials, were housed in 20 apartments in Irvine, south of Los Angeles.


    Authorities say Li charged between US$40,000 (S$55,000) and US$80,000 for her services and over two years amassed US$3 million in wire transfers from China.


    According to a series of indictments filed earlier this year against Li and 19 other defendants in relation to the "birth tourism" scheme, customers were coached on how to bypass US immigration control and conceal their pregnancies.


    Li admitted that her customers were advised to book two flights - the first from China to Hawaii, where the women were told to list the Trump International Hotel in Honolulu as their destination.


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    They were then told to take a flight to Los Angeles.

    As part of her plea deal, Li agreed to forfeit more than US$850,000, a residence worth more than US$500,000 and several Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

    She faces up to 15 years in prison at her sentencing on Dec 16.


    Thousands of pregnant women from various countries enter the United States every year on valid visas to give birth to children who automatically gain US citizenship.


    The practice is legal as long as the mother does not lie on the visa application and can pay for medical care.


    The Trump administration has lashed out at the practice and floated the idea of revoking birthright citizenship.

    https://www.straitstimes.com/world/u...m-scheme-in-us

    Last edited by JohnDoe2; 09-17-2019 at 09:33 PM.
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    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    NO AMNESTY

    Don't reward the criminal actions of millions of illegal aliens by giving them citizenship.


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    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    Moderator Beezer's Avatar
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    END BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

    ISSUE THEM A "CERTIFICATE OF CHILD BORN ABROAD"!
    ILLEGAL ALIENS HAVE "BROKEN" OUR IMMIGRATION SYSTEM

    DO NOT REWARD THEM - DEPORT THEM ALL

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    Senior Member hattiecat's Avatar
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    Birthright citizenship on task to turn red states blue. Akin to giving amnesty to millions, in a sense.
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

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    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    California: Chinese National Pleads Guilty to Running Anchor Baby Agency
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    AFP Photo/Johannes EISELE

    JOHN BINDER 18 Sep 2019
    10
    A Chinese national pleaded guilty in federal court this week to charges that she operated a “birth tourism” agency for more than two years in Orange County, California.

    Dongyuan Li, a 41-year-old Chinese national, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit immigration fraud and one count of visa fraud after running the You Win USA birth tourism agency between 2013 and 2015.

    Federal prosecutors said Li, who set up shop in Irvine, California and China, brought pregnant Chinese women to the U.S. for anywhere from $40,000 to $80,000 to deliver their children in order to secure them birthright American citizenship. These “anchor babies” effectively anchor their foreign national parents in the country and eventually, their parents can obtain green cards through the process known as “chain migration.”


    In her plea agreement, Li admitted she helped secure American citizenship for more than 500 U.S.-born children of Chinese nationals, earning $3 million in the process. Li charged customers tens of thousands of dollars, then placed them in various apartments in Orange County where they would live until they gave birth on U.S. soil.

    See John Binder 's other Tweets


    Li admitted Chinese customers were often coached by You Win USA to make false statements to the federal government in order to earn temporary visas to travel to the country. Li said customers were told to claim they were only planning to stay in the U.S. for two weeks, when in actuality, they were staying for at least three months to deliver their children.

    Customs, the plea agreement states, booked their flights from China to Hawaii, then Hawaii to Los Angeles, California because they believed U.S. Customs would be less strict in the island state.

    Additionally, customers were coached by You Win USA on how to conceal their pregnancies to federal agents.


    Li is the first among 19 individuals to plead guilty in the case.

    As part of her plea agreement, Li is set to forfeit more than $850,000, her Murrieta, California, home worth more than $500,000, and a number of Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

    Her sentencing is set for December 16 as she faces up to 15 years in federal prison.


    The other 18 individuals charged in the birth tourism crackdown are pending trials or are on the run as fugitives.

    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2...r-baby-agency/

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    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    I.C.E. News Releases

    DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD

    09/17/2019



    Chinese national pleads guilty to running 'birth tourism' scheme that helped aliens give birth in US to secure birthright citizenship

    Homeland Security Investigations led probe into multi-million-dollar criminal enterprise

    SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Chinese national pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for running an Orange County-based “birth tourism” business that catered to wealthy pregnant clients and Chinese government officials, charging them tens of thousands of dollars to help them give birth in the United States so their children would get U.S. citizenship.

    Dongyuan Li (李冬媛), 41, of Irvine, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit immigration fraud and one count of visa fraud. Li was one of 19 defendants named in a series of indictments unsealed earlier this year which resulted from an massive probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles and IRS Criminal Investigation. Substantial assistance was provided by the Irvine Police Department and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.


    Li is the first of the charged operators of birth tourism businesses to plead guilty. The remaining defendants either are pending trial or are fugitives.


    Li admitted in her plea agreement that, from 2013 until March 2015, she operated a birth tourism company in Irvine and in China called You Win USA Vacation Services Corp. You Win would assist pregnant foreign nationals – typically from China – to travel to and remain in the United States to give birth so their children would receive birthright U.S. citizenship, according to the plea agreement.


    According to a January 2019 federal grand jury indictment against Li, You Win advertised that it had served more than 500 Chinese birth tourism customers seeking U.S. birthright citizenship for their children. The indictment details that Li used 20 apartments in Irvine, charged each customer between $40,000 and $80,000, and she received $3 million in international wire transfers from China in two years.


    Some You Win customers coached by the company made false statements on their visa applications and to U.S. immigration officials, Li’s plea agreement states. Li also admitted that the customers were advised on how to pass the U.S. Consulate interview in China, including by falsely stating that they were going to stay in the United States for only two weeks, when in reality, they planned to stay for up to three months to give birth.


    “Homeland Security Investigations remains committed to working in collaboration with our law enforcement partners to identify and dismantle criminal schemes designed to exploit our nation’s legal immigration system,” said Joseph Macias, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles. “I commend the HSI and IRS investigators who aggressively pursued a tip that uncovered one of the largest birth tourism schemes to date to be federally prosecuted.”


    Li further admitted that her customers bypassed U.S. immigration controls by booking two flights – the first from China to Hawaii and the second from Hawaii to Los Angeles International Airport – because they thought it would be easier to clear U.S. Customs through Hawaii. Li’s customers also were coached how to trick U.S. Customs at ports of entry by concealing their pregnancies, according to the plea agreement.


    In October 2013, Li made a $30,965 rent payment for Irvine apartments used in her birth tourism operation, and in November 2013, she made a $30,321 rent payment for those apartments, the plea agreement states.


    As part of her plea agreement, Li agreed to forfeit more than $850,000, a Murrieta residence worth more than $500,000, as well as several Mercedes-Benz vehicles.


    U.S. District Judge James V. Selna scheduled a December 16 sentencing hearing, at which time Li will face a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.


    This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.


    Last Reviewed/Updated: 09/20/2019

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