Federal judge denaturalizes Mexican national who lied on his application
Longtime El Paso man, who unlawfully procured U.S. citizenship, pending removal proceedings

EL PASO, Texas - A longtime El Paso resident lost his U.S. citizenship on Thursday, and was placed into deportation proceedings, after an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents revealed he provided false information on his naturalization application.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) worked with ICE in the case against Hector Venancio Castro-Vasquez, who was convicted in federal court of naturalization fraud, or unlawfully procuring U.S. citizenship, in October 2006.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone judicially denaturalized the 44-year-old Mexican native, and sentenced him to time served. ICE special agents arrested him in April 2006. Castro-Vasquez became a permanent resident in 1993, and a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2003. He is now pending deportation proceedings.

Castro was convicted of lying twice on his naturalization application. He answered "no" when asked if he had ever knowingly committed any crime for which he had not been arrested, when in fact he was known to assault his wife. He also lied when he answered "no" to never having given false testimony for the purpose of obtaining any immigration benefit.

"Anyone who lies on a federal application to obtain an immigrant benefit commits a federal offense, and is subject to criminal arrest and prosecution," Roberto G. Medina, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in El Paso.

ICE special agents attached to the Document and Benefit Fraud Unit vigorously investigate cases involving individuals who allegedly commit fraud or misrepresent the facts when they submit their applications for naturalization.

"By aggressively investigating and thwarting benefit fraud, ICE is helping shut down vulnerabilities that pose a threat to national security," said Medina. "This enforcement helps restore integrity to the immigration process. We will continue to work hand-in-hand with our USCIS partners to pursue those individuals who obtain legitimate benefits through fraudulent means."

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Juanita Fielden and Brandy Gardes, Western District of Texas, prosecuted this case.

Benefit fraud
The crime of benefit fraud refers to misrepresenting or omitting material facts on U.S. federal applications requesting an immigration benefit that aliens are not entitled to, such as U.S. citizenship, political asylum, or a valid visa. Because these benefits give aliens the ability to freely enter, work, or reside in the United States, they are prized by illegal aliens, criminals and terrorists who may be willing to pay substantial fees for them. As a result, criminal organizations that help individuals fraudulently obtain immigration benefits reap enormous profits.

Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing who engaged in asylum fraud to enter this country, is among those who have benefited from this type of fraud. One recent audit estimated that as many as 33 percent of applications for one category of visa were fraudulent.

Trends in Document and Benefit Fraud
In recent years, the problems of document and benefit fraud have surged, mandating a task force approach. An Identity & Benefit Fraud Unit was formed shortly after the creation of ICE in March 2003 to coordinate leads received from USCIS, which are forwarded to ICE field offices for investigation

http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases ... elpaso.htm