Task Force to Target Immigration Fraud
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1809573
Task Forces to Target Immigration Fraud
Federal Task Forces Created to Crack Down on Immigration Fraud As Number of Cases Grows
By HOPE YEN
WASHINGTON Apr 5, 2006 (AP)— The government said Wednesday it was stepping up efforts to stem illegal immigration, creating task forces in 10 cities to crack down on those who commit fraud to enter and stay in the country.
The task forces bring together investigators from several agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Justice and Labor departments, to prosecute growing cases of immigration fraud. The fraud includes the use of fake Social Security cards, drivers licenses and passports.
Investigators also will seek to arrest and deport if warranted those who lie on government applications to obtain benefits such as U.S. citizenship, political asylum or a visa, said Julie Myers, assistant secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is headed by Homeland Security.
"One of the lessons from 9/11 is that false identities and fraudulent documents present serious risks to national security," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "We must deny criminals the identification tools they need to threaten our country."
In the last two years, the number of immigration fraud investigations has jumped 54 percent to 3,591 cases and arrests have risen from 1,300 to 1,391, officials said. They cited the growing sophistication of technology such as high-resolution digital scanners, which make it easier to produce fraudulent documents, for the increased number of cases.
At least seven of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers submitted fraudulent Virginia residency certificates to obtain legitimate ID cards to clear airport security and board airplanes for the terrorist attacks. Most recently, ICE agents seized seven counterfeit document labs and arrested 11 individuals on charges of supplying fake ID and immigration documents that were sold on the streets of Los Angeles.
The Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces will be located in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Newark, N.J., Philadelphia and St. Paul, Minn. It is modeled after a Washington, D.C.-area task force coordinated by the U.S. attorney's office.
On the Net:
Immigration and Customs Enforcement: http://www.ice.gov/graphics/index.htm
Justice Department: http://www.usdoj.gov/
